Jerry Smith

He was born in Liberty, South Carolina on Monday, July 19, 1926, the second son of Beatrice and Elmer Smith, but spent almost the entirety of his youth in Seneca, South Carolina. He is preceded in death by his wife Lillis Brown Smith whom he met when he was 6, married on August 17, 1949 when he was 23, and loved dearly until her passing in 2019. Jerry was a graduate of the Seneca High School class of 1943 and at the time of his passing was proud to be the oldest living Bobcat football letterman.

He was inducted into the US Army Air Corp in 1945 and was in training to become a right waist gunner on the B-29 Flying Fortress for deployment to the Pacific theater when World War II ended. After his Honorable Discharge in 1946 he attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, on the GI Bill where he graduated with the Class of 1950. He was a proud and avid lifelong supporter of his alma mater and a living example of the Blue Hose motto, “While we live, we serve.”

Upon graduation, Jerry first worked for his father at Adams-Smith Chevrolet in Seneca, SC before transitioning to a lifelong career in insurance, the vast majority of his working career being with Allstate Insurance in Charlotte, NC and Greenville, SC, where he eventually became a district sales manager. Upon retirement he focused on his family, his friends, his yardwork (he could grow anything), his college, and his church.

Jerry was an active member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Greenville, South Carolina for 60 years. He particularly enjoyed singing in the choir and working with the church’s youth program throughout his 80’s and into his early 90’s where he was affectionately referred to by the teens as Mr. Jerry.

Along with his beloved wife, he is preceded in death by his brother, Robert Smith, his sister, Sara Francis Carson, and his son-in-law, Randy Cantrell.

He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Smith Cantrell, his son, Thomas G. “Chip” Smith, Jr. (Dee); four grandchildren, Emlee Cuevas (Rick), Aimee Hyatt (Bob), Lloyd Smith (Katie), and Jake Smith (Mekenna): and eight great-grandchildren, Lucas and Sofia Cuevas, Olivia, Ava, Nolan and Emma Hyatt, and Beckham and Adeline Smith (all of whom knew him as “Popi”), as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

While the length of his life was remarkable, it was the quality of his character that was truly amazing. He was a firm believer in Jesus Christ as the only begotten son of God and his personal savior. He was a relentlessly positive person who never brought a negative to any situation. He truly enjoyed people and would make it a personal mission to help them bring out the best in themselves. That he was loved by so many is a testament to a life well lived. Even at nearly 100 full years, his time with us still seems too short. There was, and always will be, only one Mr. Jerry.

A memorial service will be held at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 7 Shannon Drive, Greenville, SC, on Sunday, March 22, at 2:00 PM. The family will receive friends for a visitation beginning at 1:00 prior to the service.