R.E. “Gene” Smith, 78, of Macon, died Sunday, June 29 at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, Georgia.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M., Wednesday, July 2, at Arp Baptist Church in Irwin County, with Rev. Sonny Pate and Rev. Rex Johnson officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 Tuesday evening at the funeral home in Fitzgerald. The body will lie in state at the church from 1 PM until the funeral hour.
Mr. Smith was born June 4, 1930, in Center, Alabama to the late A.D. and Eula Phillips Smith. He was a 1949 graduate of Irwinville High School. He lived in Macon since 1961 and was a former resident of Ocala, Florida where he worked for Putnam Construction Company. He retired from J.M. Huber Corporation as a heavy equipment operator. Mr. Smith served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was a member of Arp Baptist Church, the American Legion, the Moose Lodge and the V.F.W.
Mr Smith is survived by his loving wife, Betty Cason Smith of Macon; step children and spouses, Ricky & Peggy Blair of Macon, Jeffrey & Fern Blair of Macon, Darryl Blair of Sparta, Saundra & Jerry Slocumb of Macon, Linda & Johnny Morrison of Macon, Cheryl & John Tiedeman of Snellville and Lanie & Linda Kay Moseley of Macon; 15 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Doris Smith and second wife, Margie Smith.