Capt. Arthur Eugene Smith

Arthur Eugene Smith (“Gene”) died peacefully on the morning of Sunday, December 18, 2022 at the age of 97. He was born July 3, 1925 in Bonne Terre, Missouri to Arthur Earl Smith and Mable Gertrude Strauser Smith.  

Gene enlisted in the U.S. Navy during WWII in the summer of 1943, with his parents’ permission, before his 18th birthday. He went through basic training, and was a Cadet, training as an aircraft mechanic and a tail-gunner, when the war came to an end. He continued his education on the G.I. Bill, becoming a certified Airframe and power plant mechanic, and earning his private pilot’s license. 

In 1947, he joined Piedmont Aviation as a mechanic, and in two or three years, became a pilot for the newly-formed Piedmont Airlines, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He flew for Piedmont as a First Officer and eventually a Captain, for 38 years. Over his career he was based in Winston-Salem, Washington D.C. (where he served as Chief Pilot), and Norfolk, Virginia. 

At the end of his career, he flew the Norfolk, VA to Denver, CO route on a Boeing 727-200. His commercial flying record includes 31,000 accident-free flying hours. He was a certified flight instructor for many models of commercial aircraft, and served on safety committees for the Air Line Pilots Association. In 2012, Gene was honored by the Federal Aviation Administration with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. 

After his retirement at age 60 in 1985, Gene continued to fly his private airplane until age 87. During this time, he also worked in real estate and operated an aerial photography business. 

After his last child graduated from high school in Virginia, Gene and his wife Sheila moved back to the family farm in Missouri, where they continued to operate the beef cattle farm. They also owned and operated a renowned horse breeding business for many years. Always active in the community, Gene served as President of the Washington County Memorial Airport for over 20 years, and was a member of the Board of Directors at Unico Bank into his nineties.

Gene was preceded in death by his wife Sheila Foxhall Smith and his parents.  

He is survived by his two brothers, William Elijah Smith (“Bill”) and Jewell Lee Smith. He is also survived by five children: Sherrill Smith Lemmi, Carol Catherine Fabert and Kathryn Bryan Smith (daughters of his first wife Emily Chappell Bryan), and Arthur Foxhall Smith and Timothy Strauser Smith (sons of his second wife Sheila Foxhall Smith). Other survivors include his step-daughter Elisa Hedgpath, nieces Merri Beth Cully and Judy Smith Taylor, nephews Daniel William Smith (“Danny”), and Bruce Smith and Douglass Smith; 17 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, as well as several other beloved relatives. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Farmington Presbyterian Manor or the All Saints’ Episcopal Church, both in Farmington, Missouri.