Clyde Herbert Smith Jr.

Clyde H. Smith Jr. was a native of Dallas, Texas, born November 25, 1928. After a lengthy struggle with health issues, He passed away on Palm Sunday evening, April 9 2017 in Plano, Texas with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law by his side.

Early Life

Clyde Smith grew up within blocks of Fair Park in Dallas and also lived very close to his grandparents. Even at a young age, Clyde was working and beginning to find his true talents. By the young age of 8, he was selling out Liberty magazines and then went on to having various newspaper routes, worked in a newspaper production shop, was driving a delivery truck before he was 16, and worked as a lifeguard at a local municipal pool. He graduated from Forest Avenue High School.

Military Service

He joined the Navy and served in the South Pacific, including the Marshall and Mariana Islands, on an aircraft carrier and amphibious landing craft as an Electrician’s Mate, ranking as 3rd class Petty Officer.

Professional Career

After an honorable discharge from the Navy, he returned to Dallas to begin working with Remington Rand as a repair technician for office equipment. At 19, Clyde approached his managers to inquire about moving into the professional sales force at the Dallas Remington Rand branch. By age 20, he had accomplished this goal and began a lifelong career of highly successful sales and implementation of office equipment and technology. Clyde was an award-winning professional sales representative with large company accounts in Dallas. He was promoted to District Manager for Remington Rand, located in Wichita Falls, Texas. His next promotion returned him to Dallas as Assistant Branch Manager. His next promotion took Clyde to New Orleans, Louisiana as a Branch Manager for Remington Rand, overseeing a territory that included South Louisiana through South Mississippi.

Remington Rand offered their Shreveport, Louisiana branch office to Clyde with the opportunity to become owner of his own business. He moved his family to Shreveport and began his life as an business owner that would last the rest of his life. Smith Office Machines Co. Inc. officially opened its doors at 201 Milam Street in Shreveport, Louisiana on January 1, 1963.

At the leading edge of newest technology, Smith Office Machines grew over 25 years to include a wide variety of professional equipment and service. Clyde expanded with a branch office in Dallas that operated for two years. Smith Office Machines became the first approved dealer for the IBM PC in north Louisiana. Clyde led the development of customized software programming, creating a software system for oil production companies to process royalty rights and payments in a turnkey accounting system. Bringing the top technology to the business world was the hallmark of his professional career. In later years, through Continuing Education at SMU, he earned a certificate in Marketing.

Philanthropy

Clyde Smith spent nearly his entire adult life in service to others. In over 60 years as a Mason, he was a member of the Carrollton, Texas Masonic Lodge, a 60+ year 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason, and a Noble at the Hella Shrine in Dallas & El Karubah Shrine in Shreveport, Louisiana. His love of Scottish Rite Masonry was evidenced by his personal efforts in collecting donations to benefit the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, and his many years of devoted service with the Shriners as Captain of the Oriental Band, on the Potentate’s Staff for two years, Editor in Chief of the Hella Temple ‘Camel’s Calf’ magazine and as Director of Communications, where he helped to develop the Hella website and oversaw the installation and implementation of a credit card system for donations.

A lifelong church member, Clyde had great faith and loved to share his understanding of the book of Matthew in the Bible through his volunteer teaching of church classes and with family and friends. As a member of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, TX for over 20 years in the Seekers Class, he worked to organize the Career Care ministry at the church.

Family

Clyde believed that the top accomplishment in his life was his family. After marrying as a young adult, he went on to create a small family and spent his life providing for them. He married again in later life and went on to see his family grow with grandchildren. His family always included beloved pets of all kinds from his childhood to his last days. He is preceded in death by his beloved parents, Clyde Smith Sr. and Opal Smith and his grandparents. Clyde Smith is survived by his wife Sandra N. Smith, his daughter Lisa Smith, son-in-law Ewell Schirmer, grandchildren Lauren Coggiola, Leigh Coggiola-Belza and Paul Coggiola and grandson-in-law Tom Belza.

Donations may be made in his Memory:

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

2222 Welborn Street

Dallas Texas 75219

In Memory of Clyde H. Smith Jr.

Online donations:

https://community.tsrhc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=196

Donation Information - Designation: Memorial Donation

Honorary/Memorial Gift Information - Type: In Memory of

First Name: Clyde H.

Last Name: Smith Jr.

Visitation will be held on Monday, April 17, 2017 from 6-8pm in Ted Dickey West Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 11:30am in the funeral home. A graveside service with military honors will follow at 2pm in the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery.