Alderville First Nation elder and World War II veteran Murdith Donald “Don” Smoke recently reflected on the family, faith and service that have shaped his 100 years. On February 24, 2026, Smoke was honoured by family, community members and military representatives during a celebration marking his 100th birthday. The celebration, organized by his daughter, Marsha Smoke, and her family, included a flyover by a Canadian Air Force C-130 from nearby 8 Wing CFB Trenton.
War Service
Smoke was just 17 years old, living in Toronto, when he enlisted and was sent to Petawawa, Ontario, for military training. He was one of at least 3,000 First Nations people who enlisted, along with an unknown number of Inuit, Métis and other Indigenous people. Smoke served in Belgium and Holland during the liberation period near the end of the war. Looking back, he describes that time as one focused on the transition from occupation to peace and the friendships formed as people began rebuilding their lives.
“As I think back over the time I spent there, it was not really a theatre of war; it was more of a liberation assignment,” Smoke said. “We mingled with the people around there. I met a lot of friends and received letters from some of them after I got home.”
Work and Education
After returning to Canada, Smoke built a life centred on work and family. Over the years, he held jobs in a tannery, as a mechanic, with a lumber company, and at a foundry before joining General Motors, where he remained for 30 years until retiring in 1981. He joked: “I’m still looking for a job, but nobody wants to hire me.”
That sense of humour runs alongside feelings of gratitude and a strong work ethic. Smoke said much of his education came from outside a classroom, working with people from many backgrounds. What he lacked in formal schooling, he gained through experience, hard work and his relationships with others.
“When you’re away from the reserve, you’re working with people from all walks of life,” Smoke said. “To me, I got kind of educated being out in the world and being associated with different [people].”
Family
For Smoke, the meaningfulness of a century of living lies less in public recognition than in the relationships he has developed with the people closest to him. “My most important thing right now is my family,” he said.
Smoke and his wife, June, raised eight children. She passed away in 1985, but the Smoke home remains a gathering place for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Smoke’s daughter, Southeast Regional Chief Marsha Smoke of the Anishinabek First Nation, describes how her father’s legacy exists at church, in his community and in their family: “I don’t think people realize how much connection and how much power he brings to that environment to be able to say who he is. Because he’s not just Brother Don Smoke, a High Priest [at church], but he’s also our veteran, our elder, our patriarch in our family and in our community.”
Have I Done Any Good Today?
Smoke said his life has included “dark days and bright days,” but he has tried to use his experiences to help others avoid unnecessary hardship.
“I wake up in the morning or go to bed and ask myself, have I done any good today?” he said. “Maybe it’s just something small, but I strive to do something positive, something good.”
With this approach, Smoke notes, “I think you can create a better environment, a better world for yourself and those you come in contact with.”
That daily question reflects both his personal outlook and his faith. Smoke joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972. He said his faith helped give shape to his commitments to God, marriage, family and service. He described faith and family as inseparable.
“My prayers go out every night and morning in gratitude and thanksgiving for the principles of marriage and how you treat your family and treat your friends,” he said. “[That is] part of the golden rule: Love the Lord your God, and love your fellow man, your family.”
First Nations Identity
Marsha said her father’s life reflects both his participation in the Church and his deep connection to traditional teachings and community life. Smoke and his family have tried to walk “in a good way” by respecting their spiritual beliefs and their identity as First Nations people.
For Smoke’s family and community, his long life is part of that remembrance. It is also a reminder that the stories of First Nations veterans are not only military stories. They are family stories, community stories and stories of identity, culture and belonging carried across generations.
Words for the Younger Generation
The celebration of Smoke’s 100th birthday created a moment to honour his wartime service. It also opened space for him to reflect on what he hopes younger generations will remember.
“Be positive, learn and make the best of it,” Smoke said. “We make mistakes here and there, but sometimes [when] you look back over it, you can learn from your mistakes.” He hopes young people will know that “if you fall flat on your face, [you] have the strength to get back up and move on.”
After a century of life, Smoke does not define his legacy in grand terms. Instead, he speaks as a father, a worker, a veteran, an elder and a disciple of Jesus Christ focused on the good that can be done each day.
“You look for opportunities,” Smoke said, “and they come where you can help somebody in some small way.”
For Smoke, caring for family and community is not something confined to the past. At 100, it remains part of everyday life.