Rufus N. Smith

Rufus Nathaniel Smith, 89, passed away on September 29, 2016, at his residence at Eagle’s Trace. He was born on October 12, 1926, in Springhill, Alabama where he was raised on a farm. Every day he would milk cows. This is where he got his amazing grip. He never stepped down from a grip challenge and often was the one to make the challenge, “show me what you got.” As a young man Rufus served in the U. S. Army in the paratroopers. He was the first one to jump out of the plane during training. On October 14, 1946, just two days after turning 20 years old, Rufus married the love of his life, Dorothy Mae Howell. They were married for 61 years. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Houston, TX where Rufus could pursue his dream of becoming a firefighter. Along the way he also drove a Pioneer bus in downtown Houston – long before it is what it is today. Rufus made it into Houston’s Fire Department where he worked for 21 years and retired as a Senior Captain. Together, Rufus and Dorothy, had 3 sons: Leonard who loved to fish, Michael who could fix just about anything, and Robert who is a retired preacher.

At the age of 40, Rufus gave his heart to the Lord and from that day forward never wavered from the Christian Faith. He served as a Deacon at Lindale Assembly of God for many years. After he retired from the fire department, Rufus and Dorothy traveled all of the US and part of Canada in their RV. They loved to travel and would spend months at a time on the road. Rufus never met a stranger and always looked for a fire house in town so he could visit with fellow firefighters. Rufus is the last of his siblings and lived just short of turning 90. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012, Rufus was able to find a new home environment at Eagle’s Trace where he developed new friends and went on many outings.

Rufus is survived by his son, Robert; grandchildren, Mike, Rufus, Dutch, Judy, Z James, and Robert; and great-grandchildren, Ashley, Jordan, Grace, Z Alexander, and Tristan. Rufus was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Smith; two sons, Leonard and Michael; one grandchild, Robyn; siblings, Raymond, Florine, Videy, Vernie, Adele, and Lon; and his parents, Shepherd and Hattie Smith. We want to say thank you to all the staff at Eagle’s Trace who have cared for Rufus over the past few years. You have shown him more than the standard medical care, you have shown him love and respect and we cannot thank you enough for that. We also want to say thank you to A*MED Hospice who made Rufus’ transition to Heaven a peaceful one.

Rufus was loved by many and will be missed by all. Visitation will be held from 5-8pm, Monday, October 3rd, 2016. Services will be held at 11:30am, Tuesday, October 4th, 2016 at Pat H. Foley Funeral Home Chapel with burial to follow at Houston National Cemetery.