Sean Patrick Smith

TUSCALOOSA - Sean Patrick Smith, age 51, of Tuscaloosa, died Monday, July 24, 2017, at DCH Regional Medical Center after a brief illness.
Sean was born in Tuscaloosa on November 17, 1965 to Ron and Sherry Lankford Smith. He spent his early childhood in Marion, Alabama before returning to Tuscaloosa where he lived the rest of his life.
Sean attended Central High School until 1984. After finishing high school, Sean enrolled in an Emergency Medical Technician training program at the University of Alabama. He soon left the EMT course and attended C. A. Fredd Technical School until 1986.
Sean enjoyed working as a brick mason from 1984 until 1990 when he started his lifelong work at Alagasco. During his 27 year career at Alagasco, Sean worked at nearly every job in the company, from digging ditches to managing warehouses and finally supervising pipeline installations across the state.
Sean developed an early passion for music, especially bluegrass string instruments, early in life. Encouraged by his father, a professional musician, to take mandolin lessons, Sean began playing and singing in local bluegrass groups around 1985. He eventually joined two close friends to form a trio called "Strings of Joy" which played at church and other events in the Tuscaloosa area for more than a decade. Sean and his friends, including J. B. Holloway, became established as accomplished bluegrass musicians throughout the West Alabama area.
In his personal life, Sean was an avid outdoorsman. He was an outstanding hunter and fisherman throughout his life. He excelled at turkey hunting and made his own turkey calls. In Hale County, Sean's hunting companions fondly nicknamed him "Tater Head" in reference to his close-cropped hair. Sean and his hunting friends frequently donated the venison, turkey, fish and other meat to church programs that fed poor and homeless families as part of their outreach missions.
Sean's spiritual center for many years was Rosedale Baptist Church, where he served as one of the congregation's youngest Deacons.
One of Sean's special talents was flint-knapping. Fascinated by the arrowheads and other artifacts he found while hunting, Sean studied and developed the skills to make his own museum-quality stone tools using traditional Native American methods. Many of his hand-made artifacts are such perfect replicas of original tools that they have been used in college anthropology and archeology classes.
Sean Smith was one of those rare people who never met a stranger. His outgoing personality and genuine friendliness were infectious. He liked nearly everyone he met, and was well-liked in return. He was a most loving husband and father and had just begun to enjoy a new grandson when he became ill. Sean was also a devoted son and brother who helped care for his mother when she developed her final illness just a few weeks before they both died. He will be missed greatly by relatives, friends and acquaintances.
Sean was preceded in death by his father, Ronald Ray Smith and his mother, Sherry Lankford Simon.
He is survived by his wife, Maggie Smith; daughters, Karen Smith Tingle (Daniel) and Pamela Leah Becerril; son, Noah Graderson Smith; grandson, Daniel Lewis Tingle; brother, Ward Graderson Smith (Kavita Philip); sister, Kelly Smith Watkins (Eric); step-brother, Andrew Simon (Beth); step-sisters, Shelley Simon Moreno and Mary Simon; and step-father Morris Simon. Sean also leaves behind many aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins as well as too many close friends to name in this limited space.
The funeral is being arranged by Tuscaloosa Memorial Chapel Funeral Home. A combined memorial service for Sean and his mother, Sherry Lankford Simon, will be held on Saturday, July 29, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. in Tuscaloosa Memorial Chapel. Visitation by family and friends will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. before the service.