Merritt Smith

Arthur Merritt Smith was called home on October 19th, 2023, and he will be greatly missed by many.

 

Memorial services will be at 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at the Kentucky Avenue Church of Christ with Scott Futrell, pastor, officiating. Inurnment will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors and Crematory.

Born April 1, 1944, the only child of Raymond A. Smith and May Bowen Smith, he grew up in Lyndon Corner where he would later meet his future wife Bonita (Griswold). He loved to tell stories and one of those stories was how he met her at the Caledonian County Fair. They were married in 1967 and moved to Massachusetts, where he worked as an engineer. There they had two children, A. Merritt II and Sarah Elizabeth. After Sarah was born, they decided to move out of the city and back to Vermont. They started several businesses including Majestic Trophy in the early 80's and they ran M&J Discount Shoes. When he wasn't building trophies, you could find him woodworking. He restored every house that he and Bonnie lived in. After many years he sold the business and "retired", but retirement didn't really stick for the man with so many stories and much wisdom to impart. He did several odd jobs around the Lyndonville area, such as working at Magic 97.7 and being a delivery driver for an electrical supplier.

 

In 2016, he and Bonnie packed up and moved to Pampa, a place they fell in love with after driving on old Route 66 in their Corvette. They had watched the movie Cars and got inspired to see the country, they didn't make it all the way to the west coast due to some car trouble, but later would complete the journey with Spencer and Diane, friends from Pampa. Merritt made a great many friends wherever he might be, and he soon found more people to tell his stories to in Texas. Being so far from Vermont gave him a chance to "don't stop me if you have heard this one because I like telling it!" In recent years he took up leather tooling to go along with his other loves of reading, woodworking, and reloading. He worked for Jim reloading ammo and that is where he became fast friends with Lyndon. Him and his humor, wisdom and tales will leave a profound mark on those who were blessed enough to know him. There are so many people who meant much to him, a lot of those people were his fellow Church of Christ church members and the many people he worked with over the years.

He leaves behind Bonnie his loving wife of 56 years; son Merritt and his wife Connie, daughter Sarah and her husband Chip Stevens; grandsons Brian, Andrew and his wife Crystal; great-grandchildren, Brayden, Griffin, and Gabrielle. He also leaves behind his brothers-in-law, Gary Griswold and wife June, Marc Griswold and wife Cecile, and sisters-in-law, Susan Inglis and husband Al, and Jennifer; along with many nephews, and one special niece, Robin Sleigh.