Bobby Smith Jr. remembered for impact on Sylvania community
Cali Smith and her mother-in-law, Kaye Smith, took great care writing the obituary for her father-in-law, Bobby Smith Jr., last week.
“He didn’t just do stuff in Sylvania. He did stuff all the way across the state of Georgia to make sure that people’s lives were impacted," Cali said.
Bobby Smith Jr. died Jan. 8. The lifelong resident of Screven County was a graduate of Screven County High School and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Along with his two sons, he owned and operated Smith Farms, where they grew cotton, corn, peanuts and wheat.
Smith was described as a family-man, spending a great amount of time with his kids and grandchildren.
“We talked all the time, especially after my second child was born,” Cali said. “It was a boy and they were super close. It was nothing for Bobby to show up at my house bringing food or, if we were sick, he always went and took care of whatever we needed.”
When he wasn’t spending time on the farm, Smith was involved in several organizations, and was rewarded for his involvement. Some of his honors included Lion of the Year, Rotary's Citizen of the Year and Ogeechee River Soil and Water Conservation District’s Conservationist of the Year.
Professionally, Smith served on the board of directors for both the Oglethorpe Power Company and the Planters Electric Membership Cooperative who said in a Facebook post, “To us, he was a wise and thoughtful co-op leader and friend with a true servant’s heart who could often be found sharing his excellent grilling skills during outages and company events. He leaves behind an outstanding legacy of service and leadership in the Screven County community and throughout the state in the areas of electric utilities, economic development, and agriculture.”
Smith also served as chairman of the Screven County Industrial Development Authority. Executive Director Dorie Bacon recalled several examples of his dedicated work ethic and influence, from the time he mowed their entire 90-acre site on short notice to the fact that attendance at their appreciation dinners soared after he started cooking at them.
But, in short, Bacon said of Smith's death, “I have lost a wonderful boss, mentor and friend. He had a great vision and heart for our community and his impact was statewide. I can’t imagine anyone else in his chair.”
In addition to Kaye and Cali, Smith is survived by his sons Jason and Justin; daughter-in-law Amber; grandchildren, Calin Smith, Jay Conley Smith, Jacob Smith, Bradley Smith and Jovey Smith; a brother and sister-in-law, Andy and Mary Ann Smith; three sisters and a brother-in-law, Miriam Thompson, Paula Raines, and Lydia and Mark Bragg; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Joyce and Robert Singhal and Judy and Gus McEachern; an aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law, Linda and Roger Blanchard; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Sylvania community fondly remembers Bobby Smith Jr.
