A celebration of the life of Harris Eugene Smith, 82, of Ohatchee will be on Monday, October 2 at 2:00 p.m. at Chapel Hill Funeral Home in Anniston with Rev. Whitt Hibbs, Dr. Sid Nichols, and Pastor Mark Price officiating. Burial will be at Middleton Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery in Ohatchee. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service at the funeral home.
Mr. Smith transcended his earthly journey to be with our Heavenly Father on September 29, surrounded by family and friends as they joined hands with him and prayed him into Heaven.
He is survived by his adoring wife of 62 years, Josephine Heath Smith of Ohatchee, one son, Robert Smith of Ohatchee, two granddaughters, Courtney Smith of Oxford and Cassidy Smith of Ohatchee, two great-grandsons, Clark and Cade of Oxford, two sisters, Betty Hollingsworth (Jerry) of Anniston and Iva Russell (Terry) of Oxford, and one brother, Richard Smith (Sharon) of Ohatchee. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hoyt and Eva Smith of Ohatchee, one brother, Harold Smith of Heflin, and one sister, Dorothy Smith Hamil of Anniston.
Pallbearers will be Richard Smith, Dwight Smith, Keith Hamil, Kelvin Hamil, Michael Hollingsworth, Scott Boyd, and Greg Randall. Honorary pallbearers will be the Witness Class of Hill Crest Baptist Church.
Mr. Smith accepted Jesus Christ as his savior in 1956 and became a member of Oak Bowery Baptist Church where he would serve as a deacon for more than 25 years and as chairman of deacons for more then 15 years. He was an active member of Hill Crest Baptist Church in Anniston. Mr. Smith was an engineer with the Alabama Department of Transportation for 37 years until his retirement in 1996. He was a member of the Ohatchee High School Class of 1959 where we was named All-County center in football while weighing only 115 pounds.
He was a giving, honest man of integrity who modeled Christ in his life. He was generous, loyal, and brave. Born with an extremely rare, incurable blood disease, he never complained. His disease was so rare that he was written about in scientific journals and his blood was studied at UCLA Medical Center and Mayo Clinic and was told that he would not live past the age of 30.
His presence will always be with us. Thank you for being an incredible role model and for loving us unconditionally.
Condolences may be sent to www.chapelfh.com for the Smith family.
