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Adrian J. ‘Smokey’ Moses, 97

Adrian J. “Smokey” Moses was born Feb. 14, 1921, in Rush City, Minn., the seventh of 10 children born to Emma and MJ Moses.

Smokey was preceded in death by all of his siblings and is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Leora; five beloved daughters, Dr. Marilyn Moses, Kathleen Hernandez, Jolene Jones, Peggy Mieren and Charlene Jones; and a son, Adrian J. Moses, Jr. Smokey also had 13 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Smokey had a ‘practice’ career as an aerospace engineer — working on projects such as the Apollo Space Mission, Lockheed’s L-1011, the Bell X-1 (the first aircraft to break the sound barrier), and many other space and national defense projects. He did other work, too, and invented a circuit in 1974 that dimmed traffic signal lights at night to save energy, and a module to regulate washing machine cycles in the late 1960s. Smokey held more than 20 patents while working for Honeywell. He left there in 1969 and was named on at least 16 more patents while working for Lear-Siegler Corporation. He retired from Lear-Siegler to Hayden, Idaho. In 2003, long after his retirement, Lear-Siegler called him back to California to receive the “William P. Lear Award for Career Achievement.”

Smokey retired from aerospace engineering in the late 1980s to pursue his real calling — woodworking! He created beautiful toys and furniture in his shop. Smokey often involved children in his woodworking, creating kits with Leora that small hands could assemble and small hearts could cherish. Together they held annual holiday workshops enabling children to make a toy to enjoy or to give.

In recent years Smokey and Leora have resided at Wellspring Meadows in Hayden. Smokey enjoyed regaling family and friends with stories of his family, careers and dreams realized. Smokey’s final resting place will be the First Lutheran Church Cemetery, in Rush City, Minn.

A viewing will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the Faith Presbyterian Church, 9485 N. Maple St., Hayden, Idaho, with a service to follow at 2 p.m. A reception at the church will be held after the service.

Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Smokey’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.