KENNETH ORTEN SMITH

Kenneth Orten, "K.O." Smith, has slipped from his earthly bonds. He loved his Lord Jesus and will continue to be a presence in the lives of all who knew him. Funeral services for Mr. Smith will be held on Friday, March 10, 2017 at 2:00 PM at the Chapel of Evans-Skipper Funeral with Rev. Jimmy Dean officiating. Interment will follow in Spring Creek Baptist Church Cemetery with Lee Fitch, Terry Smith, Jimmy Smith, Richard Morrissey, Dr. Robert Steele, and Jim Anderson serving as active pallbearers. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at 1:00 PM at the funeral home. K.O. Was born in Mannington, West Virginia. Like many young people from that era, he endured the Great Depression, then, fought during World War II. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1942. He served through the end of the war. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and other major campaign medals. He was very moved and grateful for the Tallahassee Honor Flight Team and the tremendous commitment of his neighbor and friend, Bob Steele, who acted as his steward on the journey to D.C. and back. He was an amazingly skilled man in anything he wanted to do. He had a sharp mind, a keen sense of mechanical and other building type trades and could just about do anything. He was doing dock repairs and building bee hives for the cultivation of honey, all the while having been legally blind for years. Remarkable will and indomitable spirit; those words really do sum up K.O. He was predeceased by his wife, Jackie, of 67 years and his son Kenneth G. Smith. He is survived by his daughter, Joyce Good, his grandchildren Shannon Mezger, Casey Brown, Justin Smith, and Mason Good; as well as 7 great grandchildren.