Dan T. Smith Jr.'s Obituary
Dan T. Smith, Jr. was born to Dan and Lena Schmidt Smith in DeRidder, Louisiana on January 6, 1947. He passed away of natural causes on May 30, 2024, at DeRidder Retirement Center reaching the age of 77 years.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 2, 2024, from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM, at Highland Mennonite Church located at 171 Mennonite Church Loop, DeRidder, LA. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday, June 3, 2024, at Highland Mennonite Church with Minister Larry Schmidt and Kevin Schmidt officiating. Interment will follow at Highland Mennonite Cemetery in DeRidder, Louisiana.
Dan was the youngest of 12 children and grew up on the family dairy farm close to DeRidder. He started his education in DeRidder and finished in Rosepine. At the age of 13, he heard the call of God and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite by Minister Frank Wenger.
He worked at various jobs including milking cows at several dairies, Smith Car Wash, the Hospital, and manager of Dairy Queen in DeRidder. He moved around some, living in Mississippi, Kansas, and Texas. His last job was in Temple, Texas at a packaging plant making Styrofoam plates.
Uncle Dan was a fun-loving man and really enjoyed his nieces and nephews. He made a big deal of birthdays and always knew exactly how old he was. He was a very clean and meticulous person.
Dan’s life was not easy and he encountered difficulties along the way. As a family we felt that in his last years, he softened and had a desire to go to heaven.
His survivors include his brothers, Jim Smith of Bloomfield, Iowa, Benton Smith and wife Eva of Walker, Missouri, Chester Smith and wife Joy; brother-in-law, Harry Classen and wife Donna of DeRidder, Louisiana; sister-in-law, Frances Smith of Dumas, Arkansas, and Iris Smith of Henderson, Tennessee; and a host of nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, 6 sisters, and 2 brothers.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers are Daryl Classen, Joey Smith, Randall Kaufmann, Royce Decker, Martin Schmidt, and Carl Decker.
Words of comfort to the family may be shared at www.labbymemorial.com.
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