Clynton Smith

James Clynton Smith, age of 76 of Evant, passed away Thursday, May 23, 2019, in Waco. 

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 30, 2019 at the First United Methodist Church in Evant, Texas, where he and his wife were married 56 years ago.

Clynton was born on January 11, 1943, to the late Bailey Smith and Bessie Nabors Smith at home in Purmela, Texas.  He graduated from Evant High School in 1961.  One year later he married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Patsy Conner when she graduated from high school.  They started their lives together in a small duplex in San Antonio where Clynton worked for his Uncle Jack at Southern Moving and Storage, which explains why he knew how to pack and move a house like no other.  They welcomed their first child, a daughter, Rayna to their world in 1964, and Clynton learned how to change diapers.  In 1966, Clynton made use of his stellar packing skills and moved his family to Benton, Arkansas to start a new career with Reynolds Aluminum.  In 1977, and to his great surprise, he became a father again.  This child, another daughter, Sumer sealed his fate to live a life surrounded by women.  Clynton was a strong man and he used that strength to do jobs no other could and after 16 years at Reynolds, Clynton retired as a supervisor.  He once again packed up his family and moved to Waco, Texas.  He had several careers over the next eleven years in insurance and mortgage/finance.  During this time, Clynton had many opportunities to show off his stellar moving skills, and although his work kept him on the road often, he was always an amazing provider and a strong head of his house.  In 1993, Clynton took on his next career as an officer at TDCJ.  After 10 years as a corrections officer, and a few more moves, he embraced his last and favorite career, retirement.

Clynton was a smart and compassionate man who touched the lives of many.  He was a jokester and enjoyed giving those he loved a hard time.  He also loved music, both secular and hymns, and would often burst into song randomly.  Most every car trip, be it across town or to visit family hours away, was punctuated with made up stories, singing and laughter.  Clynton also had a serious side.  He had a passion for the Bible and the word of God.  This passion, in cooperation with the fact that he never met a stranger, lead to many hours spent discussing God’s word with anyone and everyone who would take the time.

Clynton is survived by his loving wife, Patsy Smith; two daughters, Rayna Butler and Sumer Alexander; two sisters, Donella Tullos and husband, Tom, J.Q. Smith and husband F.B.(Smitty); mother-in-law, Alma Green; sister-in-law, Phyllis Guderian and husband, Thom; as well as many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Providence Hospice, 6700 Sanger Ave., Waco, TX 76710.