James Guy Smith

James Guy Smith (Jim) of Mineral Wells, Texas passed from this life into the arms of Jesus on Saturday morning April 5, 2025, peacefully at his home with his family.

Jim was born in Austin, Texas on September 20, 1935 to Joseph Guy and Heritage Smith and welcomed by his sister Jo Ann. The family lived in Austin, El Paso, Harlingen, Waco and Tyler.

Jim graduated from John Tyler High School in 1955 and married his high school sweetheart Glenda Cupp shortly thereafter. They were married 70 years this June. In the fall of 1958, he joined the Texas Department of Public Safety as a State Trooper and was assigned his post in Mineral Wells in 1959.

Jim served in the US Naval Reserve prior to joining the Department of Public Safety as a State Trooper for 14 yrs. The remaining 20 plus years in traffic safety, he worked for the Governor’s Office of Traffic Safety as a Traffic Safety Engineer and a consultant to local jurisdictions state wide. He has visited every county in the state and has a slide show to prove it! Jim also operated the Smith Fence Company for over ten years. He taught Defensive Driving courses locally with many repeat customers where he made lasting and recurring friendships over the years. After closing his fence business, he sold real estate for Red Carpet Realty.

He served as a Scoutmaster, a baseball coach, and Voice of the Mineral Wells Rams as a football announcer at Miller Stadium for 25 years. He was recently inducted in to the Ram Hall of Fame for his contribution to Mineral Wells ISD athletic program. He gave back to his community as two-term city councilman, a Chamber of Commerce member, and a devoted deacon at First Baptist Church, where he also faithfully sang in the choir.

Jim was a true artisan. He started tooling leather under the guidance of his father as a young boy and made his first belt at the age of 12. Growing up, we had many family assembly lines assisting with the completion of belt orders during the Christmas holiday seasons. He was an avid wood carver with the ability to create birds out of a block of wood, burn detailed scenes onto dried gourds, and turn twisted tree roots into walking canes. There was little he couldn’t shape with his hands. He joined the Mineral Wells Art Association in his mid 70’s to begin a new love of oil painting.

Jim is survived by his wife Glenda Smith, Guy and Suellen Smith of Cleburne, Jeff and Shelby Smith of Mineral Wells, Becky and John Barker of Lakewood, Colorado, and Jami and Greg Bonomi in Weatherford. He has 10 grandchildren: Rebecca Smith Grosswiller (Jake), Stuart Smith, Blair Smith Browning (Geoff), Carson Smith (Kelsey), Jake Smith (Elizabeth), Addison Barker (Soo), Samantha Barker, Anna Bonomi Gay (John), Sophia Hesse (Ryan), Anthony Bonomi, 18 great grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Visitation is from 10-10:45 AM Saturday prior to the service at First Baptist Church. The service is 11 AM Saturday at First Baptist Church. Burial is 4 PM Saturday at New York Cemetery in Henderson County, Texas.

"In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: STCH Ministries, P.O. Box 1210, Beeville, TX 78104-1210 in memory of James Guy Smith.”