Commie Lee Smith

Our dad, Commie Lee Smith, passed from this life on April 15, 2025 after a valiant battle with Parkinson’s disease.  He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Betty; daughters, Wally Roundtree, Karen Cawthon and Charlene Conner (and husband Larry) and a son, Jeff (and wife Pam).  His grandchildren; Eric Cawthon, Ty Burk (and wife Sara), Danielle Roundtree, Tel Burk (and wife Holly), Alisha Gollihugh (and husband Clay), Briana Smith, and Blake Smith (and wife Caitlyn).  His great grandchildren; Nik and Toby Gollihugh, Tayshaun, Ethan and Jaythan Gipson and Hayden, Taavo and Talia Burk.

He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, and a host of in-laws as well as a still born daughter, Vickie LeEtte Smith in 1956.

Dad was born to Shird and Josie Smith on March 17th in Crosbyton, Texas.  Ironically, the year of his birth was somewhat of a controversy which wasn’t resolved until what he thought would be is 89th birthday when he learned he was born in 1933 and not 1934; he went from 88 to 90 years old in a matter of hours!

Dad married our mom, the love of his life, on November 15, 1952 at her parent’s home in Hereford, Texas.  A favorite story about their wedding day was that they snuck away from the reception long before things were over so that they could escape all the hoopla.

As a young couple, they lived in and around the Hereford, Dimmitt, Friona triangle with him working as a farmer.  Being a farmer meant he worked from sun up until sundown and sometimes, depending on the season, well into the night.  Wheat harvest in the summer, maize harvest in the fall and corn harvest somewhere in between would find him on the combine trying to get the crop in before the rain came.  Planting season inevitably followed and he had an obsession with making straight rows.  Once the planting was done and before plants emerged, he could not help himself, he would have to get out there and scratch around in the dirt to make sure there were actually seeds in the ground.

Later in life, he was a self-taught welder.  If you know anything about welding, you know how important a straight bead of weld is to the strength of your project or repair.  In his hay-day, there wasn’t anyone who could do it better or faster than our dad.  We have fond memories of him, welding mask perched on his head, thick welding gloves on his hands and the bright spark of the welding rod on contact with the metal.

Hard work was always a way of life for Dad. Failing eyesight was a hard pill to swallow for this man who had always been a doer, a fixer; if dad couldn’t fix it, well it was just unfixable.  Many an hour was spent with his head hovering over the engine of the vehicle he was working on with dirty hands and a greasy rag shoved in his pocket all the while listening to football games, baseball games or talk radio.

As he aged, our dad may not have thought so, but he will always be the patriarch of our family.  No amount of failing eyesight, loss of hearing or slowing of steps could change that and now that he is gone from this earth, his legacy will be felt in work ethic, hair volume and clear blue eyes.

Thanks Dad, for all that you sacrificed for our family.  We love you.  We’re sure going to miss you.

Graveside Services will be 2:00 PM Saturday April 19, 2025 at West Park Cemetery in Hereford. The Family will receive friends on Friday April 18, 2025 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Rowley Funeral Home.