THE ROCKPORT PILOT Rockport, Aransas County, Texas, Thursday, March 23, 1944 FORMER ALDERMAN AND FIRE CHIEF DROWNS SATURDAY More Than Thousand Attend Services for Young Rockport Man Francis Earl Smith, former city alderman and fire chief, and one of Rockport’s beds-known young men was buried here Monday morning. More than a thousand of his friends, and friends of his family, gathered here for the funeral services. Smith, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Smith, a pioneer couple of this section, was drowned last Saturday afternoon. He was working on a Heldenfels Bros. dredge in San Antonio Bay when he fell overboard. It is believed he was injured in the fall and was unable to take a line _____________________________________________________________________________________ SEVENTH TO DROWN Francis Earl Smith, 30, who drowned in San Antonio Bay last Saturday, was the seventh of his family to meet death by drowning. Others of the family are his grandfather Francis M. Smith; his uncle Francis M. Smith; his great-grandfather Thomas Court, his great-uncle John Court; his uncle, Fred Court and his cousin, Leslie Earl Simpson. _____________________________________________________________________________________ that was thrown in to him. He sank beneath the water before he could be reached by fellow workers. His body was recovered almost immediately but two hours of artificial respiration failed. A Cage ambulance brought his body to Rockport Saturday night and the cage Funeral Home had charge of the arrangements. Funeral services were conducted at the Smith home at 10 o’clock Monday morning with Rev. R. R. Ghormley, pastor of the First Methodist Church, officiating. Burial was in the Rockport Cemetery. Active pallbearers were Arlie Shivers, Lloyd Lassiter, Richard Fox, J. W. Wilkerson, Robert Key and Leonard LeBlanc. Surviving are his wife, his parents, four sisters: Mrs. Fred C. Diederich, Mrs. A. L. Brundrett, Mrs. Leonard Casterline and Miss Sarah Belle Smith; four brothers: Austin, Lloyd and Somer of Rockport and Tom Smith of Houston. Francis Earl Smith was born in Rockport on Oct. 18, 1913 and his death was the first break in the family circle. His family was one of Aransas County’s oldest, since his father was the first male child born in this section, which was then Refugio County. In 1940 he was married to Miss Cleo Beyer, who survives him. Smith attended Rockport schools and played football two years. He was elected alderman from Ward One on April 4, 1939 and served on the council until he went into the Army on Aug. 2, 1942. In April 1943 he was given a medical discharge from the Army and returned home. He was a member of the Methodist Church and was active in civic affairs. For several years Smith headed the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department and was one of the organizers and a charter member of the department. He was well known in firemen’s circles over South Texas. He was also an assistant Scoutmaster of the Rockport Troop at the time of his death. Honorary pallbearers were: Henry Camehl, Joe Johnson, Paul Clarke Sorenson, Gerald Adolphus, Albert Collier, Autry Smith, Norvell Jackson, Wayne Smith, Vernon Gray, Edward Barnard, Herbert Mills, Bill McGrath, Ernest Silberisen, Oscar Dye, Bruce Winkle, Hugh Morrison, Harold Wulff, John Sorenson, W.C. Stevenson, Floyd Huffman, Travis Owens, Johnny Grabowski, George Adolphus, Harry Mills, Homer Driesslein and Fred Buchanan.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 14:29:51 +0000
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