It is with sorrow and gratitude that we mark the passing of Mr. Kenneth Wayne "Butch" Smith of Henderson, TX — sorrow at the loss, gratitude for the life.
Some lives speak quietly; his is one such story.
Mr. spent his working life as ['oil and gas with Amoco from which he retired'] — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew him best.
A parent's life is measured, in part, by the lives he shaped.
Funeral services for Mr. Kenneth "Butch" Wayne Smith, 82, of Tatum, will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday May 6, 2026, at Bar None Cowboy Church with Jason Taylor officiating. Interment will follow at Chalk Hill Cemetery under direction of Crawford-A. Crim Funeral Home.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Tuesday May 5, 2026 at the funeral home.
Mr. Smith passed from this life on May 2, 2026 in Henderson. He was born on September 25, 1943 in Houston and grew up in Cleveland, Texas. He attended Cleveland High School and then Channelview High School with the class of 1963 where Butch played football. He would then go on to a career in oil and gas with Amoco from which he retired. Mr. Smith started as a deck hand on off-shore rigs and worked his way up to being a knowledgeable and experienced consultant. The Smith family has spent the last 40 years in the Tatum area, and in his retirement, Butch enjoyed working his cows and taking care of his beloved B-B Ranch. He also attended Bar None Cowboy Church where he was active and created Cow Calf 101, a church cowboy camp for kids and teenagers.
He was preceded in death by his father, Lawrence "Sonny" Alton Smith, and his wife, Willie Mae, his mother, Allie Pearl "Ann" Cockrell, brothers Edward Smith and Gary Cockrell, and sisters Phyllis Ann Cockrell and Connie Leigh Smith.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Bamani Smith of Tatum, their child Loura Mae Smith of Tatum, his children Lee Ann Brown of Conroe and Kimberly Wynette Clements, husband Wayne, of Cleveland, Jiles Andrew Smith of the Houston area, and her child Fatemah Salahi, husband Big Mo, of Bandar-e Anzali; sisters Sheila Story, husband Emmett, of Lake Limestone, Patricia Dunlop, husband Nicky, of Baytown, Nancy Burwell of Crosby, Sonnye Thomspon, husband Freddie, of Huntsville, Deborah Mills, husband Wiley, of Cleveland, and Terri Cook of Channelview; grandchildren Ausin, Victoria, Sophia, Daniel, Cory, Courtney, Alicia, Lauren, Roger, Nakisa; numerous great-grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews, and other family and friends.
Pallbearers will be Loura Mae Smith, Austin Wayne Smith, Cory Brown, Roger Dwayne Clements, Jason Wheeler, and Daniel Salahi.
Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.crawfordacrim.com.
