Stephen L. Smith's Obituary
Stephen Lowell Smith of Longview, Texas died peacefully and went to be with his Lord and Savior on July 22. Steve was born April 5, 1944. He was married to his childhood sweetheart and beloved wife Marilyn Kay Smith for 59 years. They met when she was 12 and he was 13 while attending Pine Tree Junior High School. He graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Administrative Management.
He owned and managed Anchor Safety Inc. He loved his employees very much and enjoyed going to work every day that he could. He was Vice President of the Fire Extinguisher Distributors of Texas for several years. He was also a member of the National Association of Fire Extinguisher Distributors. He enjoyed the camaraderie with all the other distributors from all over the nation. His niece Melanie was by his side for many years through all the transitions. Melanie says that employees always said that he was the best boss that they ever had. He treated them well and fairly. Even former employees who left or were (rarely) fired always wanted to come back and work for him. Steve always said medical issues and family came first. If they made a mistake, he was always full of grace and kindness.
Steve loved traveling with Marilyn, friends, and family. To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary he took his entire family including grandchildren on an Alaskan cruise. Steve especially enjoyed being a part of anything that his grandchildren were doing. Boompa, as he was called by his grandchildren, was famous for his tractor rides, bonfires, bedtime stories and his early morning “Boompachino” coffees. Mimi and Boompa drove many long miles each weekend to attend the many games and events in which their grandchildren were participating. Steve loved to play golf with his oldest grandson Griffin, even after he lost his leg and could only drive the cart. Steve had a passion for Bible prophecy and attending Bible conferences. He had a kind and gentle nature and was a true Southern Gentleman. He loved his country and found strength through his faith in his Lord Jesus Christ.
Steve is survived by his wife Marilyn, his beloved children David and his wife Ava, Connie and her husband Rusty, Daniel and his wife Shannon, and Stephen and his wife Alexis. His precious grandchildren are Griffin, Jackson, Cassidy, Connor, Luke, Chloe, Samuel, Joshua, Rachel, Abigail, Vivian and Jude. And his great grandchildren are Shiloh, Sage, Reeves, Olivia and Graham. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Inagene Smith, his brother Gene Smith, his sister Linda Bullard, and his nephew Stanley Smith.
Visitation will be Friday, July 26th from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Rader Funeral Home in Longview located at 1617 Judson Road in Longview.
The funeral service is Saturday, July 27, at 1 pm at the Greggton Global Methodist Church where Marilyn and Steve married in 1965 at 1101 Pine Tree Road in Longview.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Rochester, Minnesota (411 Second St NW, Rochester, MN 55901; https://raiseyourway.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=581) or Lamb and Lion Ministries (P.O. Box 919, McKinney, TX 75070; https://lamblionresources.com/category/donations/general-fund).
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