John Leonard Smith

Bill and Elsie Smith raised John in the Arcadia Valley of Missouri with his 4 siblings. His passion for the life of a carpenter was instilled throughout childhood and it was his destiny to be a third generation carpenter.

At the age of 21, John met the first “love of his life” Ruth Ann Rood. They were married on September 10, 1955. They raised their three children, Bregg (1957), Curtis (1970), and Allison (1975) in Missouri and then Texas. Ruth Ann passed away in 1985. The family attended Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving. John was active in the single’s Bible study and that is where he met Nancy Strong. John and Nancy were married in August 1992 and continued to live in Irving until five years ago when they moved to Arkansas. In August 2019, John moved back to Texas to live with Curtis & family.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy (Strong) Smith of Crossett, AR; Siblings by marriage, John Latham of Cape Girardeau, MO, Janice (Rood) Piper of Aurora, CO, Susie (Rood) & Dale Dennison of Arcadia, MO; Children, John Bregg Smith of Thackerville, OK, William Curtis & Tawni Smith of Prosper, TX, Patricia Allison (Smith) &Jeff Lin of Seattle, WA; Step-children, Gordon & Mendy Strong of Crossett, AR, Jon Strong of Crossett, AR; Grandchildren, Landon Smith of Jasper, AR, Jared & Heather Smith of Saint Jo, TX, Taylor (Smith) & Thomas Stuemky of Laramie, WY; David & Madison Smith of Saint George, UT, Ciara Ruthanne Smith of Stillwater, OK, Cidney Lynn Smith of Lubbock, TX; Carli Ryan Smith of Prosper, TX; Step-grandchildren, Lindsey (Strong) & Wes Ables of El Dorado, AR, Landry & Audry Strong of West Plains, MO, Aaron Strong of Crossett, AR, Jason Strong of El Dorado, AR; Tiffany (Strong) & Josh Robinson of Crossett, AR, Jarrod Strong of Crossett, AR, Colby Strong, of Fort Lake, AR; Great Grandchildren, Colby, Hayden, Rieter, Grayson Smith, William and John Stuemky; Step-Great Grandchildren, Paxton, Paysen, Cole, Colton, Gaige Strong, Pyper, and Journey.