Chester Coleman Smith

Rev. Chester C. Smith, son of the late John Edgar and Mary Ellen Carwile Smith, was born in Leora, Missouri on February 3, 1920, and passed away at the Missouri Southern Healthcare facility in Dexter, Missouri on January 21, 2006, at the age of 85 years, 11 months and 18 days. He had lived in the Dexter, Missouri since 1933. He was a retired General Baptist Minister and was a member of the First General Baptist Church in Dexter. He had worked for many years as a belt sander at the IXL Manufacturing Co. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and had served during WWII. On August 5, 1939, he was married to Rachel Emma Williamson. Surviving are his wife, Rachel Smith of Dexter, Missouri; two sons, Chester A. Smith of Richmond, Virginia, Jimmy D. Smith of Dexter, Missouri; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Other relatives and many friends also survive. He was preceded in death by by one son, Richard Smith in December, 2003, three brothers, Clarence Smith and two in infancy. Friends may call after 10:00 AM on Wednesday, January 25, 2006, at the Watkins & Sons Funeral Home in Dexter, Missouri. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 25, 2006, at the Watkins & Sons Chapel in Dexter with the Rev. Kenneth Biggs of Dexter, Missouri officiating. Interment will follow in the Triplett Cemetery near Dexter, Missouri with Watkins & Sons Funeral Service of Dexter, Missouri in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.watkinsfuneralhome.com