Oscar Darrell Smith

Oscar Darrell Smith died on Thursday, July 5, 2018. He was born on January 22, 1949. He was the second son and third child of Elige Smith and Melda (Casey) Smith, and the oldest surviving brother of eight total Smith children. He is preceded in death by his mother, father, and older brother Donald, who died young.

Oscar was in the Army until 1969, when he was honorably discharged. He then worked as a coal miner until he incurred an injury, leaving him disabled.

He is survived by his three children: David, Rebecca (Marsh), and Kevin, along with his grandchildren Hannah, Audrey, and Opal. Six of his seven siblings are also left to cherish him: Judy Burks, Janice Casey, Geneva Smith, Jeanette Trump, Dora Wilson, and Danny Smith, as well as their spouses and their many children and grandchildren.

He grew up with his family on a farm in Carswell Hollow, in McDowell County, WV, where the big apple tree brought shade and their gardens provided food to all their kids who shared life and time on the farm. About a week before his passing, much of the large and loving Smith family was able to see each other and say our goodbyes, although we didn’t know it at the time. He will be loved and dearly missed – as a father, a brother, an uncle, a grandfather, and a friend.

Oscar will be cremated per his request. Please send any donations to the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), of which he was a loyal lifetime member.