Herbert Lawrence "Larry" Smith

Herbert Lawrence "Larry" Smith

Age 84, of Roswell, Georgia, passed away January 17, 2026, A life-long resident of Roswell, Larry was born on December 13, 1941, to Laura Kate Page Smith and Herbert Sanford Smith. He was raised as a Baptist and attended Roswell Second Baptist Church as a child. He graduated from Roswell High School in 1961. As a student of Roswell High, he was a proud Roswell Hornet playing football all five years and participated in track and field events. He was excited to be on the 1960 Regional Championship football team and he held the school record in discus until the early eighties. He found his passion as a firefighter with the City of Atlanta Fire Dept. not long after graduation which lead to a 35 year career. During that time he transferred to the Fulton County Fire Dept. and spent many years at Station 2 in Sandy Springs as a ladder truck driver/tillerman. He loved being known as "the cook", making thousands of biscuits over the years! He was also a very proud volunteer firefighter for the City of Roswell Volunteer Fire & Rescue Dept. He took great pleasure in training and mentoring new firefighters!

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert & Laura Kate Smith and sister Diane Smith Mathis. He is survived by his wife Phyllis Porter Smith, daughter Terrie Smith Cartmill (Kevin), and son David P. Smith as well as grandchildren Ryan and Kate Cartmill and Thomas and Lily Smith. He is also survived by his brother Dale Smith (Alice) and sister Karen Smith Farr, as well as many beloved family members and friends.

Larry loved spending time with his family, especially his wife, children and grandchildren! The family vacations to the beach, road trips, camping trips, and family Christmas and holiday gatherings were among his favorites! After the birth of his first grandchildren, every Wednesday became "Grandma and Papa Day" for a full day of fun, with meals, movies, and shopping. He was an excellent cook and loved spending time in the kitchen. One of his greatest passions was fishing trips with his life-long best friend, fishing buddy Larry Abernathy! He loved having lunch with his friends at Slope's every Friday and his firemen friends from the HBC at Sidelines! Even almost to the time of his passing, he still had an incredible sense of humor, keeping us laughing through all of our tears! His generosity, patience, kindness and loving heart will always be remembered.

A funeral service will be held for Larry on Friday, January 23, 2026, at 1pm at Northside Chapel Funeral Directors and Crematory with burial to follow at Greenlawn Cemetery. The family will receive relatives and friends an hour prior to the service, as well as on Thursday, January 22, 2026 from 4-8pm.