Obituary for Frank Smith Frank Le Roy Smith passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, October 19, 2018 surrounded by his children. Services will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at the Strode Funeral Home Chapel. Frank Le Roy Smith was born on September 7, 1931 in Tryon OK to Lawrence and Alice Culie Smith.
He was the second of 4 children. The family moved to Stillwater in 1936 where he graduated from Stillwater High School, he was the class of 1949 and then attended 3 semesters at Oklahoma A&M College. He served in the Army from 1952-54.
He was a corporal in the 43rd division stationed in Germany during the Korean War. He was married to Leona Whitmore on June 23, 1954. They had 4 children, Ruth, Richard, Deborah and Cathy.
He served for 20 years with the Stillwater Fire Department retiring on March 31,1977. He served as Fire Chief from November 1, 1971 until his retirement. After retiring from the fire department, he focused on his love of carpentry.
He was a member of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association as well as the Fire Chief Association, the National Fire Protection Association and the International Fire Service Training Association. Friends and family were an important part of Frank’s life. He loved hosting all his family and friends on the 4th of July.
He was well loved by the staff of his favorite restaurants, especially Granny’s. He kept a smile on their face by bringing them chocolates every time he came in. He enjoyed the friendship of his many breakfast companions.
He loved nature. He enjoyed feeding the deer and watching the wildlife at his home. He also enjoyed fishing with the grandkids on his pond.
He enjoyed trips to the mountains for motorcycle riding in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter. In his younger days he was an active member of the Road Knights Motorcycle Association and continued riding until two weeks ago. He loved his deer hunting trips to southeast Oklahoma.
Frank was preceded in death by his parents; one older sister, Leora Chilton, one nephew, Lewis Keith Chilton, one niece, Gayla Sue Winterhalter and one grandchild, Alicia Ann Thomason. He is survived by one sister, Twyla Winterhalter of Stillwater Oklahoma and one brother, Marvin Smith of Paris Texas; four children, Ruth and husband Charles McCandless of Richmond Texas, Richard Smith and his wife Melissa of Powhatan Virginia, Deborah Thomason and her husband Don of Rising Sun, Indiana and Cathy Blankenship and her husband, Gary of Edmond, Oklahoma; 12 grandchildren, Cherie Ann Sullivan and husband Edward Sullivan of Bartlesville, John Charles McCandless and wife Dana Compton of Glenpool Oklahoma, Charles Franklin McCandless and wife Adrian of Fort Worth Texas; Melissa Lu Whiteland of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Morgan Caroline DeBorde and her husband Dylan, Edmond, Oklahoma and Baylee Dawn Smith, Greensboro North Carolina, Sonya Lynn Sirk and husband Adam of Waynesville, North Carolina, Katrina Dawn Head and husband Kenny of Aurora, Indiana, Dana Marie Thomason of Aurora, Indiana, Carmen Stromberg and husband Dave of Monroe, Ohio, Alex Curtis Jones and wife Alexandra, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Abigail Faith Jones, Edmond, Oklahoma; 24 great grandchildren, Jacob Alexander, Kaylea June, Logan Sterling McCandless, Zachary Ryan, Cohen Wesley, and Gage Kayden Whiteland, Devon, Coleman, Chloe Sullivan, Jacy, Casey, Drew, Krystina, and Gavin McCandless, Everett Donald, Harrison Leroy, Ella and Aiden Sirk, Sean James and Kylie Ann Head, Lillian Ann Marie Thomason, Brennan, Gavin, and Madelyn Stromberg, five great-great grandchildren, Cooper, Weiland, Jude, Sophia, and Abbygail McCandless. He remarried bringing into his life two step children, Janene Fean and Kerry Grisham; seven step grandchildren, Bryan, Sean, Thomas (deceased), Shawna, and Ashley Dewall, Jeffrey Grisham and his wife Tommy Ann, and Amber Grisham; eight step great grandchildren, Megan, Tyler, Courtney, Trenton, Kayla, Krista, Dakota, and Blake Dewall; Payton, Matthew and Dayton Grisham; one great great grandchild, Remington Dewall.
Frank also leaves many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends whose lives he touched by his love and generosity. Memorial donations may be given to Strode Funeral Home and will be used to establish a scholarship fund for fire fighter training. To send flowers to the family of Frank Smith, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
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