Obituaries

Chester Loy Smith, Jr.

Photo of Chester Loy Smith, Jr.
Chester L. Smith, Jr. was born February 17, 1942 in Searcy, Arkansas to Chester L. Smith, Sr. and Ruby B. (Miller) Smith. He left this world to join them on August 30, 2015. In his last seven weeks, he suffered a compression fracture to his spine, a major stroke, a heart attack, a blood clot that necessitated the amputation of his lower left leg, and lung cancer. Chester was a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a Jurist Doctorate degree. Upon passing the Arkansas Bar, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was a special agent from 1966 to 1994 when he retired. During his time with the Bureau he served in Omaha, Neb.; Davenport, Iowa; Toledo, Ohio and St. Louis, Mo. Upon retirement he and his wife moved to Mountain Home, Ark. He taught for several years at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home. He was an avid fly fisherman and fly tyer. He was a life member of the International Federation of Fly Fishers and was awarded several awards from that organization. He was also a member of and past president of North Arkansas Fly Fishers. He was also an active member of Trout Unlimited, the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, the Twin Lakes Retired Policemen's Scholarship Association and the Society of Former Special Agents of the F.B.I. In 1966, he married Patricia A. Pearle in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife of the home; daughters Shannon Smith of Nampa, Idaho and Samantha (Jim) Farthing of Jefferson City, Missouri; three grandchildren, Connor, Chester and Elizabeth; five cousins, Nancy Moore of Rogers Arkansas, Harold Miller of Napa, California, Peggy Adams of Terra Haute, Indiana, Steve Miller of Nashville, Tennessee and Barbara Gardiner of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; as well as a host of many friends and other relatives. A memorial gathering will be held Thursday, September 3, 2015 at Conner-Hankins Funeral Home & Cremation Center Chapel from 2–4 p.m. to celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his name be made to the North Arkansas Fly Fishers Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1213, Mountain Home, Ark. 72654. Following the service, an "old-fashioned Irish wake" will be held at the family home for family and friends. An online guestbook and obituary are available at www.conner-hankinsfuneralhome.com.

Published September 2, 2015

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