Funeral services for retired Chaplain Lt. Col. Gerald H. Smith, 74, of
Leesville will be held at 3 p.m. on May 27 at the First Baptist Church in Leesville, with Rev. Wallace Palmer, Rev. Larry White and Rev. Jeremy Blocker officiating. Burial will be held at 3 p.m. on May 28 at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Bogue
Chitto, Miss., under the direction of Labby Memorial Funeral Home of Leesville.
Visitation will be held from 6-9 p.m. on May 26 at Labby Memorial Funeral Home in Leesville.
Gerald, the son of Colton and Radie Mae Smith, was born
on Feb. 12, 1938, in Port Arthur, Texas. He passed away on May 25, 2012 in Leesville.
He served as pastor of many churches from 1959-1970 in Mississippi and Alabama. He joined the U.S. Army in 1970, where he was a captain and served as a
chaplain at Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Rucker, Ala., Fishbach, Germany, Fort Wadsworth, N.Y., Korea, Vietnam, Johnston Atoll, Hawaii, and Fort Polk. At Fort Polk, he was the Main Post Chaplain from 1979-1981 and has served as chaplain for many other
battalions while stationed there, and became the Division Staff Chaplain of the 5th Infantry Division in 1987-1989. He earned the Bronze Star in Vietnam. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1989. He re-entered the civilian workforce and served as pastor
of the following churches from 1989-2012: Simpson Baptist Church, Korean Presbyterian Church, Living Word Korean Baptist Church, Glade Branch Baptist Church, Korean Full Gospel Church and Castor Baptist Church. He was currently serving as the interim
pastor of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Leesville. He has also been a substitute teacher in the Vernon Parish School system and worked as a role player for Cubic Defense Applications. He also had radio ministry in Mississippi and Louisiana, known
as the Chaplains Forum, and he was a network marketer for Amway, New Image, Melalueca, TTI, and Avon. His last mission was selling homemade country cane syrup.
He is preceded in death by his first wife, Ida Elaine Smith; parents; brothers
and a grandchild.
He is survived by wife of 15 years, Glenda Fay Smith of Leesville; sons, Danny Smith and wife, Missy of DeRidder, and Dennis Smith of Leesville; daughters, Angie Magee and husband Paul of Leesville, and Melody Aldredge of
Natchitoches; stepsons, James Miller of Lumberton, Texas, Timmy Miller and wife Darlene of Bogue Chitto, Miss., and Wendell Miller and wife, Amanda of Hernando, Miss.; stepdaughters, Glenda “Tiny” Bales and husband, Kevin of Bogue Chitto, Miss., and
Angie Rushing and husband, Buster of Mendenhall, Miss.; 21 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Words of comfort may be expressed to the Smith family at www.labbymemorial.com.