Rev. William T. Smith Jr.

July 10, 2007 - 5:03PM

REV. WILLIAM T. SMITH JR.

DENVER — Beloved husband, father and grandfather, the Rev. William Theodore Smith, Jr. age 83, of 2416 Vantage Lane in Denver, NC, died on Monday, July 09, 2007, at Presbyterian Hospital in Huntersville, N.C.

Rev. Smith was born on October 4, 1923, in Columbia, SC to the late Rev. William T. and Lula Claire Harris Smith, Sr.

He received a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College and a Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary. Prior to his call to the ministry at age 40, he was employed by the Sears Corporation. During his ministerial career, Rev. Smith held pastorates at First Presbyterian Church of Franklin, NC from 1965-1969 and at First Presbyterian Church in Stanley, NC for twenty years before his retirement in 1988.

Rev. Smith was a visionary leader in the Central Carolina Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of America and a devoted family man. He was a flight instructor in the United States Army-Air Corps during World War II.

Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Elizabeth Ann Holt Smith of the home; one son, William Theodore Smith, III of Denver, NC; two daughters, Becky Hensley of Denver, NC and Beth Gibson of Union Grove, NC; one sister, Dr. Miriam Frances Smith of Decatur, GA, and five grandchildren, all of Denver, NC.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Sunday, July 15 at 3:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Stanley, NC. The family will receive friends directly after the service. A private burial will follow at a later date in the Unity Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that all memorials be made to Stanley Total Living Center, 514 Old Mt. Holly Road, Stanley, NC 28164.

The family is being served by Warlick Funeral Home of Lincolnton, NC.