Tony Smith Death, Obituary – Tony Boyd Smith was born in McCrory, Arkansas on April 27, 1943. His parents, G.R. and Mattie Smith, were his parents. He was the fourth kid of the couple’s total of seven children to be born. Tony attended one of the McCorry Public Schools throughout his academic career. Tony was elected class president during his time at McCrory High School and graduated in 1961. Soon after receiving his diploma, he enlisted in the Army Reserve and was given a one-year obligation to serve.
After that, he enrolled in the Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway, which is when he first became acquainted with Dorinda Whistle. Tony and Dorinda tied the knot in 1964, and two years later, in 1967, they became parents to a girl named Shawna. Following his employment with Colonial Baking Company in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Tony relocated to Dallas, Texas, to take a job with Collins Radio.
In 1967, the couple made the trip to Des Arc, Iowa, to begin farming alongside Dorinda’s grandfather, Fred Whistle, on the property that would later become known as the “Raft Creek Farm” in the Northside neighbourhood. After that, they purchased the Sears Merchant Store that was located on Main Street in Des Arc and ran it for a number of years.
During the 32 years leading up to his retirement, Tony worked as an insurance agent at the Smith-Taylor Agency in Des Arc, which he had created himself. Meagan, Sydney, and Kirby were Tony and his second wife’s three additional daughters, all of whom were born after Tony’s first marriage ended in divorce. Shae, Summer, Cameron, and Alexi were his four grandchildren, and he also had Alexi. Reggie and Fredrick Williams were two exceptional young men that Tony loved deeply and treated as if they were his own kids. Tony also had two other sons.
Tony’s contributions to the development of the Des Arc Summer Youth Program were quite helpful. In addition to his work as a coach for little league, pony league, and American Legion teams, he served for a number of years as President of the Des Arc Baseball Association. Tony found that the mowing of the grass and the upkeep of the fields were both enjoyable activities. After all of the time and effort that Tony B. Smith devoted to the children and teenagers of Des Arc, one of the smaller fields was given the name “Tony B. Smith Memorial Field.”
For the past 28 years, Tony has provided the play-by-play commentary for all of the Eagles’ home football games. He was a contributor to the Eagle field’s maintenance and manicuring efforts for a number of years. After 30 years of service as a high school basketball official, he was recognized for his contributions to the sport by being inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Arkansas Activities Association in the year 2015.
Tony was an avid fan of activities that took place outside, such as fishing, maintaining the neighbourhood sports grounds, and golfing. In his latter years, after he retired, he took pleasure in reading, doing crossword puzzles, writing poetry, and watching baseball games involving the Arkansas Razorbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals.
On May 17, 2023, Tony departed this life to spend eternity in the beautiful house he had prepared for him there. His grandparents GR and Mattie Smith, his sister Linda Cain, his brother John Smith, his sister Judy Gettys, and his granddaughter Shae Smith all passed away before him. Tony’s memory will live on in the hearts of his family as well as in the numerous people whose lives he changed.
In lieu of flowers, Tony’s family has asked for memorial contributions to be sent to the Des Arc High School Sports Program in his honour.
