Mr. Eugene Callaway “Gene” Smith, age 64, of Newnan, GA, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather.
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sept. 21, 1948, to Theresa Wylene South Smith and Eugene Amos Smith.
A graduate of Decatur’s Towers High School, he served honorably in the United States Navy on the USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. Upon his return to the States, he settled near his family in Newnan where he lived for the remainder of his life.
He worked as a civil engineer for the Peachtree City Development Corporation during the early stages of the Fayette County community. Yet it was his passion for cars and connecting with people that led him into a thirty-year career in auto sales, the majority of this time employed by the Larry Rich Nissan dealerships.
Gene enjoyed fishing, golfing, and watching Georgia Bulldogs football. He also enjoyed sharing time with family and friends around the pool in the backyard of the SummerGrove home he shared with his wife Kathy.
He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Kathy Ann Smith; sons, David Jason Smith and Brian Lee Smith (Laura Brady Smith), both of Newnan, and Kevin King of Menter, Ohio; grandchildren, Dominique King of Menter, Ohio, and Benjamin Lee Smith of Newnan; father, Eugene A. Smith of Newnan; brothers, Mark C. Smith (Debra Stitcher Smith) of Newnan and D. Wayne Smith of Decatur, Georgia.
A visitation will be held at McKoon Funeral Home, 38 Jackson St., Newnan, GA, on Thursday, Dec. 13, from 5-8 p.m. A private family memorial service is planned. Rather than flowers, the family requests donations made in his memory to the American Heart Association, 1101 Northchase Parkway, Suite 1, Marietta, GA 30067 or www.heart.org .
Condolences can be expressed online at www.mckoon.com .
McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory; 770-253-4580
