Aubrey O'neal Smith's Obituary
Aubrey O. Smith Born June 3, 1930 in Smithville, TN went to be with our Lord Monday morning, July 10 2017 after a short illness. He was 87 years old. Mr. Smith leaves behind his loving wife Madelyn Smith, three children: Christina (Tommy) Barrett of Bartlett, Tennessee, Julia (Jerome) Gentry of Bartlett Tennessee, and Aubrey Smith II of Bartlett, Tennessee from his first wife Celia Draney; three step children, Kyle Porter of Southaven, Mississippi, Cole Porter of Memphis, Tennessee, and Kaye (Mike) Hook of Olive Branch, Mississippi; 11 grand children and 9 great grand children.Having no formal mechanical training, Mr. Aubrey Smith was very intelligent and had great achievements in his career and family life. His father, W. R. Smith, taught him at an early age everything he knew about engines. Aubrey began rebuilding and repairing engines as a young boy when he helped his father build a race car. At Aubrey’s first job, which was unrelated to his passion, his employer asked him what else he wanted to do there at the company. Aubrey, who had been eyeing an old engine laying in the shop, told his employer he wanted to fix it. Reluctantly, his manager said he could give it a try. To everyone’s amazement, Aubrey had the engine running a short time later.Mr. Smith was very dedicated and made an important contribution to the City of Memphis Fire Department and the Fire Truck industry. After serving in the Air Force, Mr. Smith started out as a mechanic with the City of Memphis Fire Department in 1954. He soon became their top mechanic, being one of few if not the only one, to put together a fire truck engine from scratch. Aubrey worked his way up to District Chief and retired after 25 years with the Memphis Fire Department. He owned and operated his own business after retirement, Fire Apparatus Company, selling and repairing fire trucks for numerous cities across the country.He was a loving husband and father. He was loved and respected by his colleagues, friends, family, and anyone he met. He loved riding motorcycles, boating, fishing, and camping in his RV. He was a great man and will be greatly missed.The services have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis TN 38119 (901) 767-8930. “Celebrating Life….Behind the Stone Wall.”
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