Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds orders flags lowered to half-staff in honor of former US Rep. Neal Smith

Philip Joens, Des Moines Register
·1 min read
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Wednesday to honor former U.S. Rep. Neal Smith, who died last week at age 101.

Smith, a Democrat from Altoona, was first elected to Congress in 1958 and represented central Iowa in Washington, D.C., for 18 terms, from 1959 to 1995. Iowa's longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives died Nov. 2 at his home in Des Moines.

A private funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, followed by burial at Prairie Center Cemetery in Packwood. A livestream of his funeral will be shown at hamiltonsfuneralhome.com.

Smith was born March 23, 1920, at his grandparents' home in Keokuk County, and served as a bomber pilot in World War II, receiving a Purple Heart and other decorations. He married Beatrix Havens in 1946, and the couple had two children. Beatrix Smith died in 2016 at age 92.

More:

Watch Neal Smith's funeral at 10 a.m. Wednesday:

Flags will be flown half-staff at the Iowa State Capitol and the Iowa State Capitol Complex, according to a news release from the governor's office. All public buildings and facilities throughout Iowa will also have flags lowered.

“Rep. Neal Smith was an American hero and a true Iowa treasure," Reynolds said in the news release. "He faithfully served our state as Iowa’s longest-serving member in the U.S. House of Representatives and leaves behind a storied legacy in our state and across our nation."

Philip Joens covers breaking news for The Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Neal Smith funeral service, burial information for former congressman