He will be remembered as a hard worker, a man with a big heart willing to help anybody out. He served the Redfield community in different capacities such as Alderman, member of the planning commission, volunteering for RAA with the youth sports when his kids were younger, volunteering for a prior mayor as his extra hands to help get things done for the city, and lastly as the street/park superintendent until three years ago. He loved the outdoors with fishing for catfish, and deer hunting each year. He felt one of his biggest accomplishments was restoring an old tractor for the Tillman family that was Popa T, and rebuilding his own J10 Jeep truck which had not run in ten years which helped him get back out into the deer woods. He was still fixing things up to the week before his death. He enjoyed using his talents in making something work again that was broken. This gave him a purpose to fight and live by not focusing on his illness which kept him going longer than the doctors' expectations. Even after being diagnosed with cancer and not being able to hold down a full-time job he still found things to do by fixing on small engines and tractors for friends. At that time Smitty decided to live his life on his own terms to live one day at a time and enjoy the time that he was given. When he was re-scanned in 6 months, the cancer had spread. After being diagnosed in October 2019, he did take treatments for six months. He served his county in the United States Marines from 1969-1976, where he was trained to be a heavy equipment mechanic, which is what he did to make a living after his military service. He was born May 28, 1952, in Paris, Texas, to Loice Otto and Mary Norma Droke Smith. James Theron "Smitty" Smith, age 69, of Redfield, Ark., lost his battle with cancer on Saturday, June 19, 2021, at his home.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |