J. Verne Smith

Senator J. Verne Smith died Sunday morning, December 17, 2006, at his home in Greer. His death relieved him of the suffering he had endured for the last eighteen months from M.D.S., a condition of the bone marrow which greatly reduces the number of healthy blood cells.

Senator Smith was born on January 15, 1925, the son of the late Jefferson Verne Smith and Lillian Farley Smith. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two sisters, Nelle Smith Dillard and Frances Smith Wallace, and a brother, W. Thomas Smith.

His beloved wife of 59 years, Jean Myers Smith, passed away 29 days before Senator Smith.

He is survived by a son, Jefferson V. Smith Jr., and his wife, Sallie, of Greer; a daughter, Carole Jean Smith Olmert, and her husband, Henley, of Greer; grandchildren, Jefferson Ashley Olmert and wife, Susannah Sigaloff Olmert, Travis Verne Olmert and wife, Jennifer Ross Olmert, Capt. Edmund Bradley Hipp and wife, Heather Lohr Hipp, Eve Darrington Hipp and Catherine Olmert Hipp; a great-grandson, Timothy Alexander Olmert; and a sister, Lillian Smith Brooks of Chester.

Senator Smith was an Eagle Scout, an elder in the Presbyterian Church, a World War II veteran, and the majority shareholder in the Tire Exchange Corporations of Greer, Mauldin, and Simpsonville. He served in the South Carolina state Senate longer than any other senator in the history of Greenville County. He was honored for his service by hundreds of organizations and agencies, as well as the thousands of people he helped.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, Greer, conducted by Rev. Brandi Casto-Waters, Rev. Wayne Cole, and Rev. Ray White. Burial will follow in Mountain View Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the social hall of First Presbyterian Church, Greer.

Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 101 School Street, Greer, SC 29651.

Online condolences may be made at www.thewoodmortuary.com.