Lynn Phillips Smith, at the age of 87 passed away on March 20th, at his home in Columbus, MS. Services will be held Tuesday March 23, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church 3200 Bluecutt Road Columbus. Burial will follow at Friendship Cemetery. Visitation will begin on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until service time at the church. Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. He was born in Clarksdale, MS on February 21st of 1923, the only child of Yeamans and Mayrene Cartledge Smith. He graduated from high school in Greenville, MS. In 1941 he enrolled at Mississippi State College and was a member Kappa Alpha Order. On June 8th, 1943 his college education was interrupted when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in the 335th Infantry Regiment, 84th division. His time in the Army found him in combat throughout the European Theatre including the Battle of the Bulge. He later served as an officer in the motor pool coordinating and scheduling transportation for General George S. Patton. In August of 1946 he was discharged from the U.S. Army having attained the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart. He resumed his college education in 1946, and in May of the following year graduated from Mississippi State College. In September that same year, he was appointed as a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After training in Quantico, VA he worked in offices in Seattle, WA, Washington, D.C., and in the Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN area. In 1950, while working in Minneapolis, he met and married the former Nancy Kilgore. They then moved to Rapid City, SD, followed by Memphis, TN, Jackson, MS and finally to Columbus, MS, where he spent the remainder of his FBI career. In 1955 he was made Senior Resident agent of the Columbus office and played an important role during those turbulent times of Mississippi history. In December of 1977 he retired from the FBI and took the position of a consultant and security advisor for a bank in North Mississippi. In 1981 he established and operated his own private investigative agency drawing on the knowledge and skills he had acquired with his previous years spent with the FBI. At one time he held a position on the Board of Directors of Palmer Home for Children in Columbus. Always an active member of First Presbyterian Church he spent numerous years teaching Sunday school and is remembered fondly by many of his former students. He served as an elder in the church for many years and in 2009 was designated Elder Emeritus. In his personal life, he enjoyed traveling, playing golf, and hunting. He enjoyed all aspects of Mississippi State sports and was an avid fan of the bulldogs. In 2003 he was presented the MSU Alumni Association Alumnus of the Year Award by the Lowndes County Chapter. He was preceded in death by his parents Yeamans and Mayrene Cartledge Smith and infant son Newton Cartledge Smith. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Nancy Kilgore Smith and his children Forrest P. Smith (Pam), Williamsburg, VA, Katherine S. Houston (Jamie G. III), of Ridgeland, MS, Austin K. Smith (Amy Cohan), Portland, ME, and Dr. Norwood Smith (Robin), Jackson, MS. He is also survived by his grandchildren Sarah E. Smith, Parker Smith (Theresa), Jamie G. Houston, IV, Andrew P. Houston, Norwood Cohan-Smith, Jackson Cohan-Smith, Perry Cohan-Smith, Zachary R. Smith and Jessie M. Smith, his brother-in-law Robert A. Kilgore, Minneapolis, MN, his niece Elizabeth Jensen, Palo Alto, CA, his nephew Jon Kilgore, Minnetonka, MN, and cousins Ruth Sawyer and daughter Lyn Sawyer, Memphis, TN. A special thank-you is sent from the family to the caregivers who treated us with such attentiveness, kindness and concern. They are Alicia Davis, Annette Johnson, Jackie Sanders, Wanda Sherrod, and Baptist Memorial Hospital Hospice. The Pallbearers will be Bobby Caldwell, Bill Blair, Mike Waters, Marion Lloyd Waters, Ine Waters, and David Waters. The Honorary Pallbearers will be Bill Threadgill, Bill Brooks, Robert Lee Ford, Billy Moss, Lawson McClellan, Lloyd Vaughn, Richard Laws, Warren Gardner, Don Savely, Billy Moss, Dr. Matthew Wade, Dr. Chris Le Brun, and Dr. John P. Whitecar Jr. The Layabouts Luncheon Club members, Tandy Wilson, Hilary Livingston, Jim Ford, Jim Campbell, Pat Shackelford, Wendy Swedenburg, Ira Carter, Dr. Clark Bozeman, Dr. George Welch, and Dr. John Harrington will also be honorary pallbearers. Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 9681, Columbus, MS 39705.
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