Roy Eugene Smith was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He was sent to his eternal home, surrounded by his family, on December 12, 2024 at the age of 79.
Born to Henry Harvey Smith and Wille Maude Smith on February 13, 1945, in DeRidder, Louisiana, Roy was born into this world as the 9th child in a large family that included 10 children.
Roy loved his family with his entire heart. He is survived by his sons: Kevin Smith and wife, Jennifer; Clint Smith and wife, Jennifer; grandchildren: Raygen Davis and husband, Taylor; Hannah Burch and husband, Wyatt; Gage Smith and fiancée, Savannah; Riley Smith; Cooper Smith; great-grandchildren Hadley and Eli Burch; Luka Smith; brothers Bobby Joe Smith and wife, Alene; Bill Smith and wife, Lynn; sister Sue Hare, along with a host of beloved nieces and nephews.
Roy was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Jean Smith, his father Henry Harvey Smith, his mother, Willie Maude Smith, 5 brothers: Leonard J Smith, Huey P Smith, James Max Smith, Jack Thomas Smith, Curtis Harvey Smith; sister, Mary Lou Veuleman; and a great-grandson Sutton Davis, whose memory he cherished.
As a young man, Roy followed his family from DeRidder, Louisiana, and moved to Texas, where he eventually met and married his wife, Jean. They were married for 51 years. Roy and Jean lived in McGregor, Texas, where they built a life centered around their sons, Kevin and Clint, family and friends. Life at Roy and Jean’s house centered around personifying Texas style BBQ’s, horseshoes, washers, and country music. To say the house was open to all was an understatement. From the neighborhood kids to the garbage men on a weekly route, everyone knew that food, fellowship and love were never factors of possibility; rather, known constants.
Roy loved driving trucks and was able to build a career in transportation, primarily as a truck driver, but also held positions as transportation manager, where he helped manage operations at a manufacturing facility. He loved to tell the story of being given the opportunity to learn how to drive trucks while working with his brother, Jack, and later on he was able to help train both his sons in driving trucks. He absolutely loved spending time with and working with his sons. Up until the day he died, the sound of a Jake brake or the sight of shiny Peterbilt would stop him dead in his tracks.
Roy loved spending time working on and restoring cars. For many years as a young man, his identity was inexplicably tied to a yellow 1955 Chevrolet that he owned and drove as a daily driver for nearly 30 years. Later on as an older (in his words, a more responsible) adult, he decided to sell his cherished ’55 Chevrolet and shift his focus on restoring a 1955 Ford, much to older brother Bobby Joe’s chagrin. Working together, they managed to fully integrate modern automotive technology from a donor car into the old Ford in record-breaking time, even by today’s standard. He owned and drove that car until his death, when it was transferred to his sons. He was always happy to tell you the story of what he and his big brother did. I don’t know what you do or don’t know about building hot rods, but what they did, where they did it, what they did it with, in the time frame they did it in, was what OG legends are made of!Necessity may be the mother of invention, but one simply cannot discount love of the game when it comes to sheer determination.
Other personal pursuits possibly not well known included, while he lived in McGregor, he was known as an accomplished wood worker. Perhaps best known for the picture frames and mirrors that he built. Roy was involved in the Mound Cowboy Church in Texas and then at Diamond Baptist after moving back to Louisiana. He loved spending time working outdoors, visiting with his friends, listening to music, and studying the Bible.
What was common knowledge was that he loved music. It may not be widely known but when he was younger, one of his hobbies was writing songs. Not everyone knows this, but he had written many songs in the past. Recently, three of them were recorded and published as recorded CD’s, thanks to his niece and nephew’s family.
To the people that were fortunate enough to be a member of his family or for those that were lucky enough to be a member of his close inner circle, he was much more than a friend or just another member of the family. He was a big man, with a big personality and a bigger heart. He loved as hard as he lived.
For some reason, he did not feel that he was an articulate man, but to those who knew him, whatever it was that he thought lacked in his ability to communicate was overshadowed by the way that he lived his life. He loved his family, he adored his friends, he absolutely idolized his brothers (behind their backs), but more importantly, he gave love to everyone that would accept love from him.
Roy Smith was a good man who lived a good life and it showed in all areas. He was a great friend to everyone who knew him. To know him was to love him. He had a gift of being able to make people feel that they mattered, to feel loved, and to feel important, because to him, it was important that they not only knew this but felt it. He would remind you of it often.
Although his physical presence may no longer grace this earth, his quick-witted humor and kindhearted spirit will continue to provide countless memories and stories for his family and friends to cherish. His absence will no doubt create and leave a void that will feel hopelessly impossible to fill. Based on some of my many conversations with him closer to the end of his life, I want to leave you with this. “There ain’t supposed to be no crying or sadness at a celebration. I am going to see Jesus and Jean. Your job is to make sure that you’re good to get there when it’s your turn.”
A celebration of Roy’s life will be held on Saturday, December 21, at 11 a.m. at Diamond Baptist Church in Rosepine, Louisiana. Visitation will take place from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service.
