Charles William Smith

Charles William "Sonny" Smith, 85, of Centerville, Texas left us on January 21, 2023.

Charles was born to Monroe and Vade Cooper Smith, February 23, 1937 in Cedar Bayou, Texas. As a young boy, his family moved to Saratoga, Texas. He graduated with 16 members of the 1955 class from Saratoga High School. His classmates referred to him as "Wildman'' due to his love for fast cars and using all the numbers on the speedometer. He was an FFA member, raising and showing livestock. He also spent a lot of time hunting and riding horses. During his early adulthood, he worked multiple jobs in the Oil field in East Texas and on the coast in Palacios, Texas. Upon moving to Beaumont in the mid 60's, he worked in the paper mill industry and for Bordens, lovingly known as "The MilkMan ''! In the early 70's he moved to Pasadena, where he worked in a machine shop, still driving fast cars and now motorcycles, always wanting to see how fast he could go! Sonny loved to dance, he could often be found "cuttin a rug". While his choice of music was Country, he could be found listening to Gospel music, especially the Gaithers. Upon moving to Centerville, in the late 70's, he became a custom hay bailer. Also, his wife Betty and he opened a Flower shop, known as The Blossom Shop. In the early '80's, Sonny started the Leon County Go Texan Committee of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. He served as the Ambassador for many years, organizing multiple events for the community and raising money for scholarships. Sonny's favorite was Go Texan weekend at the HLS&R. He and his sisters, (Eloise was also an Ambassador) along with Quail Dobbs, would park their motorhomes on the Astrodome parking lot. They enjoyed watching all of the events and competitions, The BBQ cookoff was one of his favorites. He had his daughter compete on his hay hauling team. He was an active member of the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department, staying involved and contributing in any capacity needed. At any given time you could bet he was listening to "that radio"! If he heard a call go out, he could tell you exactly who's place it was and how to get there. He had a penchant for giving directions. He could tell you how to get to any place you needed, mostly all with landmarks! He had a heck of a sense of humor, used colorful language and plenty of hand gestures!

Any given day you could count on his attire consisting of a cap and coveralls!

He was preceded in death by his parents, Monroe and Vade; his siblings, Monroe Smith, Jr, Harold Smith, Wanda Ann Smith, Eloise LeBlanc and Avis Johnson, as well as a special uncle, Frank Ernest.

He is survived by his wife, Betty (Young) Smith; his three children, Charles Randall "Bubba" Smith (Janet), Charlena Renee' Smith (Stephanie) and Chad William Smith (Kimberly); grandchildren, Khristin New, Rachael Siegel (Cory), Hailey, Cody, Carson and Cameron; and great-grandchildren, Logan, Cayzlie, and Cooper, along with numerous cousins and other extended family members.

We will be celebrating his Dash starting with visitation from 10 A.M. to 12 Noon on January 28, 2023 at The Cowboy Church of Leon County, 1419 Hwy 7 East, Centerville, Texas 75833. Services will be at 2 P.M. with interment at New Salem Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department or The Cowboy Church of Leon County.

Arrangements are under the direction of Walters Funeral Home, Centerville, Texas.