Randall Lee Smith

After a long life, Mr. Randall Lee “Randy” Smith, 75, crossed over on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at Yalobusha General Hospital Rehabilitation Center in Water Valley, MS. A memorial service will be held Monday, May 22, 2023, at 12:00 Noon at First Presbyterian Church of Water Valley with Rev. Curt Presley officiating with a reception to follow.

Randy was born in 1947 in Nebraska to proud parents J’Nelle and Donald Smith. He grew up surrounded by his sister Diane and two brothers Steven and Tony. After enjoying his time at Bartlett High School in Memphis, he immediately began developing his good-natured sense of humor at Memphis State University. Upon graduating from Memphis State with a degree in Psychology, he joined the Military Intelligence component of the US Army. After realizing that perhaps his Jeopardy loving intelligence wasn’t the type the Army wanted, he began his work with FedEx. That job took him up to Alaska for a decade along with the occasional side trip to the Philippines. While he loved all the parts about living in Alaska, including those great winters, he decided that he loved his wife more and returned with her to Tula, Mississippi. After a few more years with FedEx, he finally retired and began his Golden Years relaxing on a porch, talking college sports, and walking his dogs down the road to his friend’s house.

Randy is remembered for many things, almost all of them good. His love of reading, listening to music, and collecting watches, even though he never really cared too much about arriving on time, were mentioned by many. More importantly he is remembered for constantly lifting up others with his positive energy and appreciation for the simpler things in life. Good pizza and conversation were all he really required to have a great night.

Randy was an ardent believer in The Two Golden Rules: 1) Don’t sweat the small stuff. 2) Just about everything is small stuff. A few items that were never considered small stuff were his family. He will be dearly missed by his wife, Susan, his son Jason, and his grandchildren Bronte, Madeline, J’nely and Lucian. There are many others who will treasure their memories of Randy and miss his presence in their lives (especially during March Madness).