George Henry Smith passed away peacefully on April 17, 2015. He was born in McKinney, Texas on September 28, 1922 to Jeff Davis and Mary Ruth (Snavely) Smith. On July 30, 1949, George married Doris June Morrow in McKinney. He attended both, NTAC (now University of Texas Arlington) and TCU where he played the coronet in the marching band. He proudly served his country in the Army Air Corps during WWII, where he was a member of the Eighth Air Force, 381st Bomb Group, flying in B-24’s and later B-17’s as a flight engineer. His true desire was to be a pilot, so after the war he got his pilot’s license and flew for an oil supply company. George worked at Van Waters & Rogers for 36 years selling upholstery supplies to manufacturers throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico until he retired in 1987. After his retirement, he spent his time traveling with June to 381st Bomb Group reunions, visiting grandchildren and volunteering for The UTD Eugene McDermott Library, History of Aviation Collection. With George’s great sense of humor, he never knew a stranger and had a long list of lifetime friends. A lifelong Methodist, patriot, and loving father, he was truly a member of The Greatest Generation. George and his family were members of First Methodist Church in Garland for many years.
He is survived by his son, Gary and his wife Suzanne; daughter, Mitzi Cardenas and her husband Col. (Retired) Steven L. Cardenas; and his grandchildren Jennifer, Jeffrey and Juliana.
George was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, June Smith; his parents, Jeff Davis and Mary Ruth Smith.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2015 in Cox Chapel, at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.
The family wishes to thank all of his doctors, nurses and caregivers at Villages of Lake Highlands and C. C. Young for their care and kindness.
Memorial contributions may be made to: The University of Texas Dallas Eugene McDermott Library, Special Collections, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, TX 75083-0643 or a charity of choice.