David Lamar Smith

David Lamar Smith came into this world on June 18, 1925, as the sixth of eight children of Walter and Mae Smith in Franklin County, MS. He became a Christian during a summer revival at the age of 11 and was baptized in a nearby creek. Nearly 87 years later, his faith became sight.

David lived his life as a family man with a servant’s heart. He married a kind, compassionate, funny, loving, and beautiful wife, Margie Marie Jackson, and together they provided a nurturing, loving home for their three daughters, Kathy Smith Boteler, Karen Smith Godfrey, and Linda A. Smith. They raised their family in Jackson, MS. David loved his sons-in-law, David Boteler and Ken Godfrey, as his own sons. As the patriarch of his family, he delighted in his grandchildren, Brad Boteler and wife Kate, Dana Wells, and Neil Godfrey. The births and lives of his five great-grandsons, Connor Wells, Tanner Wells, Henry Wells, Jackson David Wells, and Eli Boteler were a great joy to him.

David loved to travel and took his family on numerous family vacations to Canada, Niagara Falls, Destin, the Smokey Mountains, the Ozark Mountains, the MS Gulf Coast, Texas, and Georgia. He also visited Hawaii, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Israel, and England with his wife Margie. As a proud Mississippi State graduate and die-hard Bulldog fan, he took his daughters and their families to MSU sporting events for over 60 years and followed MSU sports until his death.

As an eighteen-year-old young man, David joined the U.S. Army to serve his country during World War II. He joined the 179th infantry regiment of the 45th infantry division, or Thunderbird Division, as it was famously called. This division had a record of 511 continuous combat days and was the most decorated American division in the European theater. David joined the division as one of many “replacements,” who came in to serve when a soldier was wounded or killed. Although he was very young, his hard work, competitive nature, and love for his country placed him in the heart of the fight to liberate France from Germany, and eventually, to take Germany itself. David spent 80 days in a foxhole dug in the snow-covered ground on the front lines in France. He survived one combat wound to return to the lines, only to be seriously injured by shrapnel from a “screaming meanie” while out on patrol. The second injury not only earned him a cluster to his purple heart but was the “million dollar wound” that would earn him a trip home. On the front, David convinced his doctors to let him try to keep his arm. He received a then-groundbreaking grafting treatment at Texas General Hospital in Temple, TX that his modern-day doctors were still amazed by, and his injury never kept him from doing anything he wanted to do in his lifetime. He believed that God was with him on the front and was always grateful for His care and providence. For his service during the war, David received the Purple Heart and an Oak Cluster, 2 Bronze Stars for Bravery, Good Conduct Medal, Rifleman Medal and French Legion of Honor Medal awarded by France to WWII veterans who shed blood on French soil fighting for France’s freedom.

After serving in the Army and receiving his degree from MSU, David chose professions that served the public. He was a rural route mail carrier for 25 years around Swan Lake in Byram, MS, where he helped the elderly and less fortunate on his route. As his retirement job for 11 years, David worked at Lifeway Christian Book Store where he enjoyed assisting and getting to know his customers. He also volunteered at the Information Desk at the Baptist Hospital Medical Arts East Building in Jackson, serving well into his 80s.

David served his beloved Savior at Calvary Baptist Church on West Capitol Street, teaching middle school boys, working with children in Bible Drills, bringing widowed ladies to church, helping with Bible Club in inner city Jackson, teaching adult Bible Study in his senior adult years, and serving as a deacon. The faithfulness of David L. Smith will continue to bless his church and his family for generations.

David continually stayed active by working out each morning, running the Governor’s Five Mile Race and 5k races, and later walking in the Mississippi Track Club races. He hiked 6 miles in the Rocky Mountains in his 80’s and mowed his and his daughter’s yards until the age of 92. David once stated that he wished to live and work on a farm in his retirement. That dream took a backseat to being a devoted caregiver to his wife Margie when she became dependent due to advanced Alzheimer’s disease. However, David did love gardening and creating a beautiful oasis in his backyard to enjoy. When he sold his home in Madison two years ago, he sold it to a veteran of the Iraq war who found peace and comfort in the backyard that David had so carefully tended all those years.

David did not have the opportunity to establish lasting friendships in the Army because he went from basic training to fighting on the front lines to recuperating from his injuries. During his three years at the Mississippi State Veterans’ Home in Kosciusko, he was blessed to make friends with many Veterans from World War II as well as the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Even to the end, David wanted most to show the love of Jesus to those around him, and he often shared books, scripture, and words of wisdom and comfort with his roommates, friends and staff. His daughters want to thank Chaplin Cregg Puckett for the spiritual guidance he provided. They also want to thank the staff and administration at the Kosciusko VA Home and at Quality Hospice for the loving care they provided to our sweet father.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers that memorials be made to His Heart, the Community Ministry of Calvary Baptist Church, 1300 West Capitol Street, Jackson, MS.