Bobby Van Smyth

Mr. Bobby Van Smyth, 81, died Tuesday, September 25, 2012, at The Care Center of Louisville. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Friday, September 28th, at First Presbyterian Church, with Rev. Scott Phillips and Dr. Bob Schwanebeck officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Porter Funeral Home. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Porter Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Smyth was born May 12, 1931 in Louisville, MS. He was the son of Ruby Vanlandingham and Sylvester Hayes Smyth. He was a graduate of Louisville High School, and received his B.S. degree from Mississippi State University, where he majored in Industrial Management. After graduation from MSU, Bobby spent 17 years in South Louisiana with National Supply, a division of Armco Steel. He moved back to Louisville in 1974 and was co-owner of Lake Tiak O’Khata. He was an Air Force veteran and a member and elder of First Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife, Vera Smith Smyth of Louisville; two daughters, Lou Ann (Frank) Gaulding of Covington, GA, and Jennifer Tillman of Tucson, AZ; a son, Harold Hayes Smyth of Fort Pierce, FL; a sister, Sylvia R. Clark of Louisville; twelve grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. Bobby was a kind and gracious man, who seldom met a stranger and always offered a generous smile and warm “hello” to everyone he met. He lived a life of integrity and honor as he fulfilled the roles of devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and son. He loved the Lord, cherished his family, and treasured his friends. He was a man of great strength and quiet dignity, whose unselfish and caring heart endured him to all. Pallbearers are Bobby Lightner, Michael Lightner, Jeremiah Lightner, Matthew Tillman, Steve White, and Phillip Cunningham. Honorary pallbearers are Elders of First Presbyterian Church. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Assn., Palmer Home for Children, or First Presbyterian Church.