Donald Smerko, CP, passed away October 15, after battling
cancer. He was 52. He was a second-generation O&P practitioner
who worked at his family business, Koebers Prosthetic Orthotic
Labs, Chicago, Illinois, first with his late father, Joseph Smerko,
then with his brother, Dennis Smerko, CPO, and wife, Loretta. His
is described in the Chicago Tribune as “a proud and dignified man
who always had a smile on his face and had kind words to say.” It
added, “He has traveled much of the world but was most comfortable
being somewhere warm with his wife…. He was a man who could fix
anything and could often be found tinkering on house projects or
projects in one of his properties… but most of all, Donald was a
true humanitarian.” Smerko volunteered his professional services in
Grenada and Columbia, and in 1994, served as president of the
Illinois Society of Orthotists & Prosthetists, now the Illinois
Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists (ISOPP). He was
a graduate of Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, and
became a certified prosthetist in 1984.Â
