Otto Smith, Jr.

Otto Smith, Jr. was born January 25, 1940 in a one room log house with a dirt floor.  He was the first of seven children born to Otto and Elsie Smith.  The story told throughout the years was that his birth was during a snow storm of epic proportion.  While his father Otto and his uncle Raymond went to fetch the doctor by mule pulling a tobacco sled, his beginning was much like his next seventy-seven years, on his terms.  He arrived before the doctor managed to make it back, his mother Elsie Smith delivering him with the assistance of his Aunt Ollie, who had him cleaned and swaddled by the time his father, uncle, and the doctor arrived.

During his childhood he presided over a brood of siblings Beatrice, Ruth, Faye, Jerry, Francis, and David.  From a very young age he helped his mother in the care and raising of the little ones and worked the tobacco fields with father.  Farm life didn’t leave much time for school or activities.  It did, however, give him a lifelong work ethic and devotion to family.

He married his wife Brenda Handy in January 1962, an event that was heralded with another snow storm of memorable magnitude. 

Shortly after their marriage, Junior was drafted into the United States Army.  Were you to listen to the stories, he actually enjoyed the military, and every picture shows a confident, smiling young man.  He just never quite got over that they pressed him into service via the draft.  After two years, following the end of his enlistment, he returned from Hawaii, the farthest he had ever been from home.  He really didn’t like being away from his family.

When his son became involved in scouts Otto threw himself into scouting.  As a young child, Otto had always yearned to be a boy scout, but because of the demands on the farm, he couldn’t participate.  As an adult he made it his mission to support Troop 575.  He worked tirelessly to provide for the needs of that troop, spearheading a fundraising campaign that enabled to troop to purchase their own canoes.  He was named Committee Man of the year two years in a row and was inducted into the Order of Arrow, a service organization within the Boy Scouts of America. 

He and Brenda had two children, Judy and William by birth and later Jim and Stephanie by marriage.  He took delight in the marriage of both his children and their choices for spouses, loving them like they were his own.  He loved working with Jim building any number of things and he considered it his mission to get one over on Stephanie.  The family won’t say who finally won that one, just saying “Let’s call it a draw.”  He took particular pleasure at the arrival of the grandchildren, often seeming to enjoy their missteps more than their varied accomplishments, just quietly chuckling when one of them was in trouble with their parents.  His grandchildren described him as the “stereotypical cantankerous old man who instead of yelling at you to get off his lawn, gave you popcorn, popsicles, and moon pies.” 

He worked at Gilley’s Automotive in Pilot Mountain for a number of years as a salesman serving the surrounding counties’ service stations and garages.  He had a way of putting people at ease that served him well, as he drove throughout the area taking orders for their parts, making sure they had what they needed for the coming week.  He would eventually move on to Armtex/Surry Industries as a fixer, which was probably the happiest of all his jobs.  When the plant closed, he was sixty years old.  Instead of piddling his time away, he enrolled in the carpentry program at Surry Community College, where he completed their certificate program.  His wife tells that he thoroughly enjoyed the program.  Since the program required some math and English courses in addition to the carpentry classes, his children tell that they didn’t enjoy helping Dad with his homework.  After earning his certificate at 62, he spent the next fourteen years building utility buildings in various sizes as well as the occasional custom dog house.  It was only during the last year of his life that the man began to slow down.

Otto Smith, Jr. is survived by his wife Brenda Handy Smith, his children Judy Parks and William Smith, his son-in-law Jim Parks, daughter-in-law Stephanie Smith, four grandchildren: Brittany Smith, Andrew Smith, Steven Parks, and Paxton Smith; his sister Frances Wiles and brother Jerry Smith.  He was preceded in death by his parents Elsie and Otto Smith, four of his siblings: David Smith, Ruth Turney, Faye Fowler, and Beatrice Hunter, and two beloved grand-dogs Bacon and China.

He celebrated his seventh-seventh birthday and his fifty-five years of marriage during the week just prior to his passing on February 4, 2017.  Incidentally, it was snowing a bit that weekend.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday February 12 from 2-5PM at South Westfield Ruritan Club 2582 Cook School Road Pilot Mountain, NC 27041.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the

Camp Raven Knob Maintenance Fund, Old Hickory Council, Boy Scout of America

6600 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem NC  27106