Billy G. Smith died Dec. 27, 2008, of pneumonia during the only hospital stay of his 89 years; his daughter was with him.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m., Jan. 4th, at the Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville; the sermon will be by the new minister Victoria Griffin under the direction of Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Mr. Smith is buried in the city's Old Cemetery on Kickapoo Street, beside his wife Edna who died Aug. 11, 2008, and near his parents, Mattie and Tol Smith, and his sister, Ruth (Smith) Goforth and her husband.
Billy G. is survived by his only daughter, Dr. Tolly Smith and her artist husband Wayne Wildcat, who have lived with Edna and Billy for several years and continue to live on the Smith family farm with Eloy Torres and family.
For decades Billy was the manager of Beall's Department Store in downtown Jacksonville. He was an active member in many civic groups: Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and Rodeo, 20-40 Club, Aggie Alumni, Masons, Shriners, West Jacksonville Water District, Retail Merchants Coffee Club, the Director of the REA for 38 years, and the Presbyterian Church.
Billy and Edna hosted great parties for these groups at their farm.
A child of the Depression, Billy graded tomatoes in Jacksonville, then "the Tomato Capital of the World." Billy worked his way through A&M, graduating in 1940. Pearl Harbor was attacked Dec. 7 and Billy enlisted and left Jacksonville on Christmas Day, 1941. He was on a ship destined for the Pacific when they hit one of their own mines. For the rest of the war his 44th bomber group was stationed in Panama to guard the canal.
Recently, on his way to a doctor appointment, Billy began to sing, "Take me Back to Texas, I'm Too Young to Die." It was, he told us, the song his Texas group sang during the War.
Fate let them fly on the same plane to Panama, Edna from Pennsylvania and Billy from Texas. They fell in love and married May 26th, 1945?and lived happily ever after for 63 years. Recently Edna told her daughter, "We were some of the lucky ones."
Billy G. Smith was a good man, a loving father and husband, a host, and a proud Aggie. He enjoyed life. He made life and work fun. His impact was felt in the Jacksonville he loved deeply. Billy and Edna's spirit will always live on at the farm on Tol Smith Road and in the lives of those who loved him.
Published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph on 1/1/2009
A memorial service will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m., Jan. 4th, at the Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville; the sermon will be by the new minister Victoria Griffin under the direction of Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Mr. Smith is buried in the city's Old Cemetery on Kickapoo Street, beside his wife Edna who died Aug. 11, 2008, and near his parents, Mattie and Tol Smith, and his sister, Ruth (Smith) Goforth and her husband.
Billy G. is survived by his only daughter, Dr. Tolly Smith and her artist husband Wayne Wildcat, who have lived with Edna and Billy for several years and continue to live on the Smith family farm with Eloy Torres and family.
For decades Billy was the manager of Beall's Department Store in downtown Jacksonville. He was an active member in many civic groups: Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and Rodeo, 20-40 Club, Aggie Alumni, Masons, Shriners, West Jacksonville Water District, Retail Merchants Coffee Club, the Director of the REA for 38 years, and the Presbyterian Church.
Billy and Edna hosted great parties for these groups at their farm.
A child of the Depression, Billy graded tomatoes in Jacksonville, then "the Tomato Capital of the World." Billy worked his way through A&M, graduating in 1940. Pearl Harbor was attacked Dec. 7 and Billy enlisted and left Jacksonville on Christmas Day, 1941. He was on a ship destined for the Pacific when they hit one of their own mines. For the rest of the war his 44th bomber group was stationed in Panama to guard the canal.
Recently, on his way to a doctor appointment, Billy began to sing, "Take me Back to Texas, I'm Too Young to Die." It was, he told us, the song his Texas group sang during the War.
Fate let them fly on the same plane to Panama, Edna from Pennsylvania and Billy from Texas. They fell in love and married May 26th, 1945?and lived happily ever after for 63 years. Recently Edna told her daughter, "We were some of the lucky ones."
Billy G. Smith was a good man, a loving father and husband, a host, and a proud Aggie. He enjoyed life. He made life and work fun. His impact was felt in the Jacksonville he loved deeply. Billy and Edna's spirit will always live on at the farm on Tol Smith Road and in the lives of those who loved him.
Published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph on 1/1/2009
Billy G. Smith died Dec. 27, 2008, of pneumonia during the only hospital stay of his 89 years; his daughter was with him.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m., Jan. 4th, at the Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville; the sermon will be by the new minister Victoria Griffin under the direction of Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Mr. Smith is buried in the city's Old Cemetery on Kickapoo Street, beside his wife Edna who died Aug. 11, 2008, and near his parents, Mattie and Tol Smith, and his sister, Ruth (Smith) Goforth and her husband.
Billy G. is survived by his only daughter, Dr. Tolly Smith and her artist husband Wayne Wildcat, who have lived with Edna and Billy for several years and continue to live on the Smith family farm with Eloy Torres and family.
For decades Billy was the manager of Beall's Department Store in downtown Jacksonville. He was an active member in many civic groups: Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and Rodeo, 20-40 Club, Aggie Alumni, Masons, Shriners, West Jacksonville Water District, Retail Merchants Coffee Club, the Director of the REA for 38 years, and the Presbyterian Church.
Billy and Edna hosted great parties for these groups at their farm.
A child of the Depression, Billy graded tomatoes in Jacksonville, then "the Tomato Capital of the World." Billy worked his way through A&M, graduating in 1940. Pearl Harbor was attacked Dec. 7 and Billy enlisted and left Jacksonville on Christmas Day, 1941. He was on a ship destined for the Pacific when they hit one of their own mines. For the rest of the war his 44th bomber group was stationed in Panama to guard the canal.
Recently, on his way to a doctor appointment, Billy began to sing, "Take me Back to Texas, I'm Too Young to Die." It was, he told us, the song his Texas group sang during the War.
Fate let them fly on the same plane to Panama, Edna from Pennsylvania and Billy from Texas. They fell in love and married May 26th, 1945?and lived happily ever after for 63 years. Recently Edna told her daughter, "We were some of the lucky ones."
Billy G. Smith was a good man, a loving father and husband, a host, and a proud Aggie. He enjoyed life. He made life and work fun. His impact was felt in the Jacksonville he loved deeply. Billy and Edna's spirit will always live on at the farm on Tol Smith Road and in the lives of those who loved him.
Published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph on 1/1/2009
A memorial service will be held on Sunday at 3 p.m., Jan. 4th, at the Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville; the sermon will be by the new minister Victoria Griffin under the direction of Autry Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Mr. Smith is buried in the city's Old Cemetery on Kickapoo Street, beside his wife Edna who died Aug. 11, 2008, and near his parents, Mattie and Tol Smith, and his sister, Ruth (Smith) Goforth and her husband.
Billy G. is survived by his only daughter, Dr. Tolly Smith and her artist husband Wayne Wildcat, who have lived with Edna and Billy for several years and continue to live on the Smith family farm with Eloy Torres and family.
For decades Billy was the manager of Beall's Department Store in downtown Jacksonville. He was an active member in many civic groups: Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and Rodeo, 20-40 Club, Aggie Alumni, Masons, Shriners, West Jacksonville Water District, Retail Merchants Coffee Club, the Director of the REA for 38 years, and the Presbyterian Church.
Billy and Edna hosted great parties for these groups at their farm.
A child of the Depression, Billy graded tomatoes in Jacksonville, then "the Tomato Capital of the World." Billy worked his way through A&M, graduating in 1940. Pearl Harbor was attacked Dec. 7 and Billy enlisted and left Jacksonville on Christmas Day, 1941. He was on a ship destined for the Pacific when they hit one of their own mines. For the rest of the war his 44th bomber group was stationed in Panama to guard the canal.
Recently, on his way to a doctor appointment, Billy began to sing, "Take me Back to Texas, I'm Too Young to Die." It was, he told us, the song his Texas group sang during the War.
Fate let them fly on the same plane to Panama, Edna from Pennsylvania and Billy from Texas. They fell in love and married May 26th, 1945?and lived happily ever after for 63 years. Recently Edna told her daughter, "We were some of the lucky ones."
Billy G. Smith was a good man, a loving father and husband, a host, and a proud Aggie. He enjoyed life. He made life and work fun. His impact was felt in the Jacksonville he loved deeply. Billy and Edna's spirit will always live on at the farm on Tol Smith Road and in the lives of those who loved him.
Published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph on 1/1/2009
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