David Paron Smith

He began his life in Newton Falls, Ohio moving to Strong, AR when he was 8 years old. David attended school in the Strong Schools until his 11th year, when he elected to attend and graduate from Camp Robinson Military Academy where he earned the U.S. President’s Physical Fitness award which was presented to him by Janet Huckabee.

David shadowed his father’s footsteps anytime they could “kick around” in the shop where he began his passion for working with metal. At the age of 11, he talked his honorary “Papaw” Donald Ray Smith into allowing him to work around the shop at Pipe Systems Inc., where he worked and learned the technical skills behind his “art”. David was a master fabricator and welder at Arkansas Gravel in Hampton, AR by day and a metal artist by night.

David will be welcomed in Glory by the family that precedes him; his paternal grandparents, Bobby and Martha “Tinsy” Smith; maternal grandparents, Donald and Barbara Jean Godfrey and his Aunt Kimberly Ford Smith.

Along with his parents, David’s memories will be cherished forever by his daughter, Dani Laine Smith, born to him and Morgan Bumgardner on January 19, 2017; his brothers, Shane of Lawson, AR and Ernest of El Dorado; his sisters, Shannon Washington of El Dorado and Shelley (Jon) Busch of Benton, AR; his special honorary family, Freddy and Irene Bradshaw of Fordyce, AR, Roger and Bonnie Hayes of Strong, AR and Jamie and Alicia McCarty of Norphlet, AR and his nieces and nephews, Bobbi, Blane, Laken, Zach, Ethan, Gabe, Noah, Shayla, Cole and Nia.

A memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April 6, 2017 in Young’s Chapel with Rev. Phillip Smith officiating and under the direction of Young’s Funeral Directors.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, 3 Columbus Cr., Floor 15, New York, NY 10019.

An online guest registry will be available at www.youngfuneralhome.com.