Keith Branson Smith of Smyrna, 91, passed away on Nov. 2, 2024.
Keith was born and raised on a farm in Greene County, Georgia, in the Liberty Church community. His parents were Joe Branson Smith and Hallie Turner-Smith, who left us in 1967 and 1984.
He is survived by his wife, Margie (Winslett) Smith, son Dane Smith (TinaMarie) of Fountainville, PA, daughter Denise Smith Dupuy, of Smyrna, GA, and grandchildren Brandi Smith Fox (Charlie) of Salt Lake City, UT, Kaitlin Dupuy MacGillivray (Scott) of Woodstock, GA, and Branson Dupuy of Fort Worth, TX. Keith had one sister, Miriam Smith McKinley, who was deceased but is survived by his brother-in-law, Thomas W. McKinley.
Keith graduated high school in Greensboro, GA, and then attended Emory University in Oxford, GA.
From there, he attended the University of Georgia and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture. About 25 years later, he returned to school to earn his MBA from Georgia State University.
Keith married Margie Winslett in a ceremony at Martha Brown United Methodist Church in Atlanta in December of 1955, and they were together for almost 69 years. At the time, Keith was a non-commissioned officer in the US Navy, assigned to the USS Massey (DD-778), stationed in Norfolk, VA.
During his service from 1954 to 1958, Keith made multiple trips across the Atlantic as far north as Iceland and in the Middle East in places like Pakistan. He was very proud of his time aboard the ship and had many stories he liked to tell. It was his time in the Navy that started his career path in electronics engineering.
After the Navy, Keith took a job with General Electric at Redstone Arsenal, which moved his family to Decatur, AL. A few years later he accepted a job with Lockheed Martin in Marietta, GA and bought his first home in Smyrna. Keith spent the rest of his career working on iconic airplanes like the C-130 Hercules, and C-5A Galaxy. He retired from Lockheed in 1996.
Keith was a brilliant man. He was kind and friendly to all he encountered, and he never met a stranger. He loved to tell his life stories, share his knowledge about many topics, and share plants, flowers, vegetables from his garden, honey from his bees, or bags of blueberries.
To this day, numerous family and friends tell us about the flowering plant, bush, or fruit tree that Keith gave them many years ago, which they still have in their yard. Keith was a devoted family man who always prioritized his wife and family. His grandchildren were his greatest love. We will treasure forever all our fun memories and the loving legacy he leaves behind.
Funeral Services were held at Liberty United Methodist Church, 3091 Liberty Church Road, White Plains, GA 30678, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, with Rev. Chris Huskins officiating. There was a viewing starting at 10:30, a church service at 11:30, and a graveside service. The church community served food in the community center afterward.
McCommons Funeral Home, 109 W. Broad St., Greensboro, GA, (706) 453-2626, was in charge of arrangements.
Visit us at www.mccommonsfuneralhome.com to sign up for the online guest register.