During my seemingly never-ending journalistic career, I’ve had to go to a lot of funerals.
And sometimes sitting there listening to the eulogizers eulogizing the subject at hand, I thought I must be in the wrong church because it didn’t sound like they were eulogizing anybody I knew who’d died recently. And sometimes it all went on so long I wished I were dead.
But that’s beside the point.
The point is that in the case of Jimmy Smith, the nice things people said about him at his funeral Wednesday at his beloved Hillcrest Baptist Church were true. He was definitely a man to be admired, one who set the bar high for public service, business ethics and spiritual leadership.
And the words of his three sons who spoke bore witness to that. All were profound and heartfelt, but the tribute his oldest son James William “Chuck” Smith read that he wrote for his father’s retirement in 1996 covered it all.
“It is hard to sum up a lifetime of lessons, but here are a few:
He taught us about life, that life is tough and nothing in life is fair.
He taught us to give as well as take.
He taught us to pitch and well as catch.
He taught us to listen as well as talk.
He taught us we could learn from anyone if we would just listen.
He taught us to give a man a dollars’ worth for every dollar we charged.
He taught us to be responsible and to be there just because we said we would.
He taught us to take responsibility for our own actions and not place the blame.
He taught us about God.
He taught us about tithing as well as attending.
He taught us to put something back, even to the point of picking up trash at 6 a.m. on Gordon Highway.
He taught us to never, never, never quit.
He taught us we were lucky to get what we worked for, much less anything else.
He taught us to be thankful and respect others.
He taught us that when faced with a mountain, we would climb it, dig underneath it, go around it or simply stay and turn it into a gold mine.
He taught us to be team player.
He taught us that success is not about where you are but what you overcome to get there.
He taught us to be self-motivated.
He taught us to think long-term.
He taught us being a Smith has a high price tag.
He taught us that where much is given much is required.
And lastly my personal favorite:
“Son, you can’t live long enough to learn everything the hard way. Sometime, you just need to listen.”
I am proud to be a Smith and proud to be Jimmy’s son.”
The Mayor of South Augusta
They say the crowds are usually sparse at very old people’s funerals because they’ve been retired so long and many of their friends and acquaintances have already passed on. Jimmy was 91, but hundreds of people came to his funeral.
Jeff Padgett was a pallbearer, the only one who was not a family member.
“Oh, I appreciate getting to be with them, to sit with them. I loved Jimmy so much,” he said. “He was my best friend for 25 years.”
Former Augusta Commissioner and Georgia DOT Chairman Don Grantham said, “I consider Jimmy as one of the most, if not the most honest, dependable commissioner that Richmond County has ever had. His word was his bond.”
“I appreciate working with Jimmy Smith,” said Marion Williams, former Augusta commissioner and current District 9 commission candidate. “You don’t find that kind of character anymore. He was old school. He had pride in south Augusta. He worked hard to change the stigma about south Augusta.”
Former City Administrator Fred Russell said he had two things to say about Smith.
“No matter what you did for south Augusta, Jimmy Smith wasn’t going to be happy until he had a Chick-fil-A out there. The second thing is that he used to bring me Bible tracts. The first time he did, I said, ‘Thank you’ and set it aside. When he came back the next week, he wanted to talk about it. I didn’t make that mistake again.”
“He was a fine Christian man,” said former Augusta Commissioner J.B. Powell. “You want him in the foxhole when it’s time for battle.”
Others honoring Smith included state and city elected officials, past and present; VIPs, and too many others to name. Among them were:
_ Augusta Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Garrett
_ Wayne Guilfoyle, District 10 Augusta commissioner, about the only commissioner I can still talk to. The majority obstructionist commissioners are nothing but a bunch of racists with a capital R, and Augusta will never reach its full potential until that mentality is replaced with people who don’t act like they have a score to settle. That’s my long-studied observation of the situation anyway.
_ Richmond County Superior Court Judge John Flythe. I knew John when he was a lowly State Court judge. He seems as nice now as he was then.
_ The inimitable former Augusta Commissioner Moses Todd and I go way back before he became a Union man espousing political viewpoints totally opposite mine. I still love him, though, because of his courage and heart. It’s like having a kid who gets on the wrong path. You don’t approve, but you don’t abandon them either.
_ Attorney Freddie Sanders, now retired. I apologize to him now for writing that his chances for winning the sheriff’s race a few years ago were “Slim and None, and Slim had left town.” I can’t believe I did that, but I was just a dumb kid then.
_ Richmond County Good Government Chairman Richard Isdell. What can you say about a man his age who goes out and buys a motorcycle and then runs it off a 15-foot embankment and almost kills himself? Mid-life crisis?
_ State Rep. Gary Richardson, a political novice who’s sure to Sparkle in the Legislature. Get it? Sparkle?
_ Former Commissioner Tommy Boyles and wife, Kathy, a marvel of industry, still operating a catering business and taking care of Tommy after all these years.
_ Former Commissioner Bobby Hankerson. We go so far back I can only dimly remember when he was working to improve Barton Village.
_ Jeff Padgett: I seem to remember he took me to task about something years ago. I’ve racked my brain to think what it was, but I still can’t remember. After he reads this, he’ll probably call me up and do it again.
_ Former Richmond County Public Works Director Abie Ladson, now co-owner of Infrastructure Systems Management
_ Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority Chairman Cedric Johnson
_ Charanne Powell and sons Jamie and Wilson, J.B.’s wife and sons.
_ Former Augusta Commissioner Ulmer Bridges and wife Vicki. The thing about Ulmer is he has this sly smile that makes you think he’s knows something you don’t but isn’t about to tell you what it is.
_ Augusta attorney Jim Plunkett, a gentleman always.
The Reluctant Commissioner
One time, I asked Jimmy Smith why he ran for the commission, and he looked at me with a straight face. That was the only face he had. A straight face. And he said then-Sheriff Charlie Webster called him up and told him to meet him and Chief Deputy Ronnie Strength at Highway 25 and Windsor Spring Road. So, he did, and when he got there, they hog-tied him and made him promise he’d run for the commission. Of course, I knew he was making that up although it did sound like the way they do politics in south Augusta. Everybody’s heard about the South Augusta Mafia. They were making him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Be it Resolved:
The Augusta Commission on Tuesday adopted a Resolution of Condolences honoring Smith.
“Whereas, the City of Augusta declares today, May 7, 2024, as a day to celebrate the life of former Augusta-Richmond County Commissioner James W. “Jimmy” Smith Jr.
“Therefore, it be resolved that Jimmy Smith’s hardworking ways will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him, as he shall ever live in your hearts. The members of the Augusta Commission were deeply saddened to hear of his passing, and it is with our sincere care and concern that we send these humble words, expressing our heartfelt sympathy. May his legacy of kindness, generosity and love endure for years to come as he shall forever live in our hearts; and may you also find comfort in knowing that others care and share your loss.”
Prophecy Fulfilled
Attending Jimmy Smith’s funeral caused me to reflect on how many public officials I wrote about during my seemingly never-ending journalistic career have died. It also reminded me, sadly, of how prophetic something I’d say to some who made me mad was.
“Just remember, you’d better be nice to me because I’m probably going to write your obituary one day,” I said, as they escorted me out of some committee room door, so they could meet privately. I also said it to anybody who nitpicked my stories.
As promised, I have written the obituaries of some and many more. They will be the subjects of my next column unless somebody gets to write my obituary first.
