Paul L. Smith Sr.

Sunday, August 2, 2020, the Lord called home Deacon Paul Leslie Florin' Smith Sr. His mansion is ready after his long battle with cancer.  Known by many as Scooby-Doo, Smitty and Uncle Paul”, was born on October 9, 1949 in James City County, VA to the late Marion O’Connell and Rita Sarah Smith.

Paul is survived by his wife, Iris; children, Paul Jr, Daniel, and Vanessa; and grandchildren, Cierre, Keona, RaShawn, Neviah, Jazmine, Cleveland, Avigail, and Justin. He also leaves to cherish fond memories with his siblings, Peter, Howard, Joel, Mark, Marcia, Marion Jr, Pauline, Rita, Robin, and John. Amongst his close family, he will also be missed by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and close lifelong friends.

Paul was born and raised in James City County on the Farm that was purchased in 1936, by the late Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, Co-Founder and Pastor of The Church of God established in 1919; and lived there on this farm most of his childhood life. He started his driving career first with school buses, then to tractor-trailers, motor coaches, where he took on the name “Smitty”. One of his favorite Women’s Basketball Coach had this to say of him, “Paul was so good to us. Always in good spirits. He made sure to get where we needed to be, and on time.”

In his last days, you could find him cutting grass at the farm, on his John Deere lawnmower. Paul was a man of God and “adamant” about what he believed to be the right way of doing things. His favorite Bible verse was St. Luke 1:49 “For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name” and songs that he loved, were “I don’t mind waiting on the Lord”, and, “I feel Like Going On”. Paul loved his wife Iris and when he retired, they would often travel to Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, and other local areas, he really loved being on that road. If you caught him in one of his moments, he would tell you about the adventures he would have while being on the road. From sleeping on the bus to maintenance issues, no matter what, each story would have a humorous side and end to “it”. In the last 4 years of his life, Paul grew to love the cows on the farm and it often would seem like he had a personal connection to them. His wish and utmost desire were to have a robotic milker installed to make milking of the cows, a little bit better…style of life. He had a heart like no other, that always displayed love for others, and a commitment to doing for others. He was truly devoted to his family. Today we honor the simple life that Paul lived. He was not a man of lavishness, but a man of simplicity. He never made a fuss over his clothes, the food he ate, however when it came to Iris, he was not playing any games. Paul, we will deeply miss your smile, your laugh, your hugs, and your leadership. Thank you for giving 70 years of love and happiness to us and others. May you rest in peace and know that your memory will forever be engraved into our hearts.

A funeral service will be held at 12:00 noon Thursday, August 6, 2020, at The Church of God at Williamsburg.  Interment to follow at the National Memorial Cemetery, Williamsburg.  Deacon Smith may be viewed from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, in the church.  Livestream of the service will be available.

Professional services entrusted to the staff of Whiting's Funeral Home, 7005 Pocahontas Trail, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185. 757-229-3011. whitingsfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Paul L. Smith Sr., please visit our floral store.