Obituary of Thomas Paul Smith

~~Thomas Paul Smith, better known as Tom Smith, was born May 19, 1940 and departed this life November 24, 2017. 
He grew up in Ohio, lived in Indiana while in college, spent a year in Boston, Massachusetts on his first job, moved to Huntington Beach, California where he lived until he retired from TRW, an aero-space engineering firm.  He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Purdue University and his Master’s Degree from the University of California.  He was employed by aero-space engineering firms and retired at age 49 when he moved to Lander, Wyoming.  While there, he taught computer classes at the Casper Community College for several years.  In 1998, he met his wife, Sylvia Marshall Fulwiler Smith, online.  After several months of chatting, they met in person in November 1998.  They were married June 26, 1999, and moved to Woodville, TX where they worshipped with the Woodville Church of Christ, and for the past several years with the Oak Grove Church of Christ in Soda, Texas, where he was a very active member.  He took up woodworking soon after moving to Woodville, and has created numerous woodworking projects since then.  He loved God, his church and church family, his family, his many pairs of cowboy boots (!), and especially his cats! 
He was preceded in death by his father, Russell “Doc” Smith and his mother, Lillian Linker Smith.
He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Smith; his sister, Brenda Barner, and her son, Alex “Buddy” Vinson, her daughter, Jennifer “Ginger” Willis and her husband, Mike, and her son Jeff Squibb.  Also, his sister, Deborah J. (“D.J.”) Smith.
Funeral service will be held Thursday, November 30, 2017, at 11 am at the funeral home with Minister Michael Miller officiating.  Burial will follow at Camp Ground Cemetery in Woodville.  Visitation will be held Thursday from 10 am until the time of the service.
Serving as pallbearers:  Roger Fulwiler, John Helbig, Lee Mann, Clay Marshall, Don Marshall, and Hub Whitten; honorary pallbearers Don McClain, Robert McLaurin and Andy Zicafoose.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Neema Village, P.O. Box 21553, Waco, TX 76702 (their website is www.neemavillage.org), or to the Oak Grove Church of Christ, Soda, Texas.