Joseph L. Smith

Funeral services for Joseph L. Smith, 79, of Mountain Home, Ark. will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 8, 2014, at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Stuttgart, Ark. with Father Phillip Reaves officiating. Visitation will be one hour before in the Parish Center. Burial with full military honors provided by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard will follow in Holy Rosary Cemetery. Joseph passed peacefully on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at the Hospice of the Ozarks in Mountain Home with family members at his side. Joseph was born July 26, 1934, at Fort George Meade, Md. to William E. and Phyllis Lowman Peffer. He was a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who proudly served his country in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He worked as a State Fire Fighting instructor and Safety Officer at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Ark. and then as the Camp Ranger for the Boy Scouts at Pine Trail Reservation in Viola, Ark. until his retirement in 1997. After retiring, Joe moved to Stuttgart, Ark. and then relocated to the Mountain Home area in 2003. He was a goodhearted, hard-working man as well as a loving husband and father who was loved by many. Joe was always active and supportive of the Boy Scouts and the local volunteer fire department. He was a member of the St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church, a Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus and a member of Post #52 of the American Legion. Besides his parents, Joe was preceded in death by his adoptive parents, Everett C. and Elizabeth Lowman Smith. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Barbara Scherm Smith of Mountain Home, Ark.; children, Phyllis Cheshier (Gerald) of Jonesboro, Ark., Rick Smith (Reca) of Millbrook, Ala., Becki Smith (Billy) of Tulsa, Okla. and Amanda Worsham (Adam) of Viola, Ark.; nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; his brother, Everett E. Smith of Glen Burnie, Md. as well as many special in-laws and nieces and nephews. The family would like to express their thanks and appreciation to the caring staff at the Hospice of the Ozarks and request that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Hospice of the Ozarks, 701 Burnett Drive, Mountain Home, Ark. 72653. Funeral arrangements are by Turpin Funeral Home of Stuttgart, Ark. Please go to www.turpinco.com to sign the online guestbook.