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Arthur Guy Smith, who passed so suddenly from life unto death Saturday here at his home, was born Oct. 2, 1905, in Alton, Kansas, and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. S. O. Smith. He was married to Miss Esther Cook in Salina, Kans., in 1925, and two children were born to this union, Colleen Joe and Jimmie Leon. In 1924, “Dutch,” as he was known by his many friends, graduated from the Barber’s College in Kansas City, Mo., and at the age of 18 years entered the barber business. He came here with his wife and baby in 1927, and located, opening a shop of his own shortly after, and continued to make Palacios his home. He was well liked by all and soon had a large circle of friends. He was active in many ways in the civic life of our city and was a member of the volunteer fire department. Besides his wife and two children, he is survived by his parents, two brothers, Virgil Smith of Alton, Kans., and Dr. A. E. Smith, of Hoxie, Kans., and three sisters, Mrs. Leona Boyd, of Ault, Colo., and Mrs. Helen Fritsche, of Bloomington, Kans. The remains were prepared for burial by the Palacios Funeral Home and where the body lay until Tuesday afternoon when funeral services were held, conducted by Rev. E. F. Kluck of the Methodist Church, with burial in the Palacios Cemetery. The large crowd in attendance and the many beautiful floral offerings attested the high esteem held for the departed. Officers of the Palacios Volunteer Fire Department were active pall bearers while other members were honorary pall bearers and the fire truck headed the procession to the cemetery. Relatives from out of town for the funeral were the father and two sisters and one brother of Kansas, and Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Douglas, of Citrus Grove, aunt and uncle of Mrs. Smith.
Palacios Beacon,
December 13, 1934 |
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Funeral services for Esther Smith, 87, of Palacios, were held June 6, 1994 at the First United Methodist Church in Palacios with the Rev. Ralph Smith officiating. Burial was in Palacios Cemetery. Mrs. Smith was born June 17, 1906 in Cawker City, Kansas to the late Sam and Lellah Shaw Cook. She died June 14, 1994. She had lived in Palacios since 1927 and had been the office manager for Hurley Butane for 30 years until her retirement. She was also a member of the First United Methodist Church. Mrs. Smith is survived by her daughter, Colleen Jones of San Mateo, Calif.; a son, Jimmie L. Smith of Palacios; four grandchildren—Rene and Jim Jones, Beverly Tisdale and Cindy Reese; and nine great-grandchildren—James and Tanya Chanik, Jessica, William Gene and Haley Reese, Eric Tisdale, and Jackson and Dillon Jones. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Guy Smith, on Dec. 8, 1934. Pallbearers were Leonard Lamar, Dale Porter, Nick West, Bob Woll, Ronnie Laws and John Neese. Honorary pallbearers were members of the Palacios Rotary Club. Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church piano fund or to the FEC Senior Center. Palacios Beacon, June 8, 1994
Community Mourns Passing of the Eternally Young “Lovely Miss Esther” By Nick West She was the beloved “First Lady of Palacios,” spry, spunky, spirited and entirely devoted to Palacios. She was the Lovely Miss Esther. A major part of the city by the Sea’s history and a good portion of its colorful…passed away last Saturday with the death of Esther Mary Smith at the age of 87, the age, however, belies the attitude and active ___ of a woman whos community service up until her death was ___. She was the young lady in her 20’s playing the piano accompaniment to silent movies showing at Palacios theaters in the 1930s?. She was the energetic octogenarian who, for the past three years except for last week, showed up each Tuesday morning—unpaid—to help unload the Palacios Beacon and help prepare them for mailing. She as the one who said “Howdy” to everyone at the weekly Palacios Rotary Club meeting where, for an amazing 60 years, she played the national anthem on the piano for the Palacios Rotary Club. She was the one who would team up with neighbor Bob Woll and play jazz music for those she called “the old folks” down at the Senior Center—most of whom were 20 years her junior. She was also everything in between. Age was never a factor with her staying active and independent kept her young. She refused to be outworked by anyone. Born in Cawker City, Kansas in 1906, Esther began taking piano lessons as a grade school student and by the time she was 11, she was playing background piano for silent movies. After moving to Palacios with her husband, Arthur Guy Smith, in 1926, she continued to play to play at local movie houses. The couple had two children, Jimmie and Colleen. Widowed at a young age in 1934, Esther operated several restaurants in Palacios, including the first located on the Palacios Pavilion. In 1987, she retired after 30 years with Hurley Butane. Although she “retired” from paid employment, she did not retire from life or community service. Promoting Palacios is every Palacian’s responsibility. However, Esther made that responsibility her own, becoming a goodwill ambassador for the community she loved. She was a fixture at every community activity or event which was important to Palacios—from BayFest to the Parks and Recreation Committee of the Palacios Chamber of Commerce. She was honored as the Chamber’s Woman of the Year in 1980 and named Grand Duchess for the city’s Texas Sesquicentennial celebration in 1986. Two years later she was awarded the Governor’s Humanitarian Volunteer Award in a ceremony held in Austin. In 1979, Esther was recipient of the Rotary Club’s prestigious Paul Harris Award and, after 35 years of service to the organizations, became one of the first female members of the Palacios Rotary Club. Since its inception in the early 1980s, she had been a board member of the Palacios BayFest Committee. She has also served on the board of the Friends of Elder Citizens, the Chamber of Commerce, the Palacios Recreation Association and a member of the Palacios Area Historical Association. Esther had been featured on the “Eyes of Texas” television program as well as in numerous newspaper articles. In 1980, on her 80th birthday, she was honored when Mayor Leonard Lamar proclaimed June 17 as “Esther Smith Day.” Donning shorts and a blouse or T-shirt, she headed up the Chamber of Commerce’s float crew as they journey to parades throughout South Texas promoting the city. So proud of the city’s float and the lovely girls which rode on it, Esther would not hesitate to let parade judges know they made a mistake in not awarding Palacios first place. She was equally uninhibited about setting politicians straight—whether local, state or federal—when she felt they were not getting the job done. Manning long hours in the Palacios booth at boat shows in Houston and Gulf Coast Days in San Antonio, she touted the virtues and the seafood products of the City by the Sea while plying passers-by with her renowned shrimp dip on a Ritz. (Woe to those however, who made too many return trips to scarf down the delicious treats!) An avid team bowler until a couple of years ago, she still pulled out the push mower to do her own lawn, kept track of the Astros baseball team, treasured and eagerly looked forward to the monthly ‘social’ gathering of her beloved STN ‘sorority sisters,” played daily on her cherished Baby Grand piano, and relaxes with an occasional ice-cold Pearl Light. She was a favorite at the annual BayFest where she would play the piano in the beergarden tent from morning till dusk. One of biggest disappointments came a year or so ago when, with failing eyesight, she was advised to stop driving a car. It was something Esther hated giving up simply because she didn’t want to be dependent on others in getting around. In 1989 when she became a Rotary Club member—55 years after she played for the club’s first meeting on April 24, 1934—she was honored for her years of service. In making an award presentation to her, then-president Bill Reaves noted that “Never in the course of human history, at any place in the world, has any one person played the national anthem for any one group for so long.” Esther was deservedly praised in the nomination letter for the Governor’s Humanitarian Volunteer Award in 1988. The nomination noted that “Esther is the most unique volunteer we have ever encountered. The problem is that she is so unique. God should have mass produced her so every community could have one like her. Esther inspires the young, maintains a youthful outlook on life for the elderly and everyone in-between admires and envies her. Palacios would not be what it is today if it were not for “The Lovely Esther Smith.” Some say they “broke the mold” when God made Esther. However, it’s doubtful that there ever was a mold for her, she was a hand-crafted, one-of-kind gem who sparkled throughout her life. Palacios Beacon, June 8, 1994 [The first portion of the article was blurry.] Esther Smith Had a Love Affair With Palacios Dear Editor, Who was Esther Smith? She was all of us who pay our respects to her and who see her off on her journey to the Palacios she knew and loved so much and the Palacios of her fondest dreams. She knew, as we know, there is a Palacios just over the horizon created by our God that fits our memories of past Palacios and our dreams of future Palacios. Yes, Esther is just arriving at the city limits and the first person to greet her is the Savior himself. In his welcome to Esther, he points to a magnificent site and Esther immediately recognizes three beautiful palaces—it’s Tres Palacios. With a big Esther-like smile she takes Jesus’ hand and waves to us to follow her to this beautiful heavenly place. With Esther leaving us and joining our Lord, another chapter in the history of Palacios is closing. She loved her family—Colleen and Jack, Jimmie and Betty, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren, her many friends, her Baby Grand piano and her Palacios. She will be missed very much by Colleen, Jimmie and the other family members; Leonard Lamar, a special friend; Bob Woll and the music they made together, her Rotary Club friends; Nick West and the Palacios Beacon gang; Robert Ripke and the BayFest committee; and her sorority sisters’ gumbo cookoff team. I first met Esther in August 1947 when I found lodging and friendship in Tom and Mary Friery’s home at 308 Morton after Superintendent of Schools Ralph Newsom hired me as a teacher and coach. As a young 20-year old, it didn’t take me long to notice a pretty young lady and a full refrigerator resided at 212 Morton. Also, I found that if I knew the landlord better, Esther, it made friendship with the young lady and the refrigerator much easier. Therefore, a long and enjoyable friendship was born. For me, it has not only been 47 years of friendship, but staunch support, a lot of encouragement and, of course, some love. Most of us will always remember Esther as a person with very strong opinions, a hard and dedicated worker for what she believed in, a wonderful mother, a great friend, a fine musician, and an eternal promoter of Palacios. It is only proper that I mention Esther’s mother, Mrs. Lelah Cook, who lived across the street from Esther at 219 Morton. From Mrs. Cook, Esther learned to love and always be surrounded by young people and to support the family regardless of the hard work and dedication it may require. How I remember those Sunday lunches Mrs. Cook would prepare for her young friends. She would on occasion miss her beloved Sunday services at the Methodist Church to have her young people over for Sunday “dinner.” I always felt so privileged to be invited. As Esther receives her reward from her Savior, Jesus Christ, we should give notice of a few of her earthly rewards. She played the piano for the Palacios Rotary Club from the first meeting in April 1934 thru May 1994 and was its first lady member and first Paul Harris Award recipient; Palacios Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year in 1980; Governor Bill and wife, Rita Clements presented Esther the prestigious Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 1988; she was featured on television in both Ron Stone’s “Eyes of Texas” and “Ray Miller’s Texas;” on her 80th birthday the City of Palacios proclaimed June 17, 1986 as “Esther Smith Day” and she served on many local and area boards of directors. A few of what I will call “Esther memories,” must include: playing the piano with her built-in drama for the silent movies in the old picture show; seeing Esther drive her 1931 green Model A coupe; helping her brother, Ward, operate the nationally famous Crawford’s Green Lantern Inn; becoming the first operator of the Palacios Pavilion Pier Café in 1936, managing the Hurley Butane Company for 40 years; serving as County Commissioner Billy Harrison’s campaign manager during his many years of office holding; and recently announcing that in 1934 “the Rotary club paid her $5 per month to play the piano, but quit paying her during World War II, and now she plays just because she wants to.” To Esther’s family and many friends, I know in my heart that Esther loved every one of us and she would want us to remember her, but she would say this to each of us—love your families, serve your God, work hard and take care of “her Palacios” then “have a party, a great big party!” With love and respect, Coach Geo. Holst
Palacios Beacon, June 8, 1994 |
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Jimmie L. Smith, a native Palacian, passed away peacefully August 7, 2007, at the VA Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. Jimmie was born June 29, 1927, in Palacios, Texas, to the late Arthur and Esther Smith. Jimmie was a member of the First United Methodist Church, a Shriner-Mason, and he was most proud to be a Navy veteran. Jimmie is survived by: two daughters, Beverly Smith-Garcia and Cynthia Reese and their husbands, Glenn Garcia and Doug Reese; grandchildren, James and Tanya Chanik and William, Gene, Jessica and Haley Reese; his sister, Mrs. Colleen Jones of Henderson, Nevada; nieces and nephews; step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren; plus a host of friends. Jimmie was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Betty Jo Smith. The family wishes to thank the VA Hospital in Kerrville's staff, doctors, chaplain and hospice for their loving care, support and for their compassion. Memorial services will be planned at a later time and notice posted in the Beacon. Memorial donations can be sent to St. Luke's Episcopal Heart Hospital; Attn: Sheryl Barmasse; 6720 Berkner St.; Houston, TX 77030, please include name for --Jimmie Smith. On left corner of envelope write: M. C. 3206. 1-832-355-6822
Palacios Beacon, August 12, 2007 |
