Kirby J. Smith

Kirby J. Smith, fomer Lewis county educator, died Friday in Tacoma after an illness of several years. Mr. Smith was born April 12 1877 in Hurricane, West Virginia and later went with his parents to Ava, Mo., where he spent his boyhood and young manhood. He came to Silver Lake, Cowlitz county, Wash., 25 years ago. He came to Lewis county in 1918 and served as superintendent of the schools at Adna, Doty, and Napavine. Later, he went to Sequim, where he was superintendent until ill health forced his retirement six years ago.

Mr. Smith was well known in Washington educational circles. He was president of the Lewis County Education association and participated in the early development of the interscholastic athletic program now in operation in the county. He was marred [stet] in December 1906 to Miss Mary Moore of Ava, Mo., who with a son, Glen Smith of Aloha, survives. Mrs. Smith has been a teacher of music in the Tacoma schools since her husband's retirement from school service. During the summer quarter she has been serving as a member of the public school music faculty of the College of Puget Sound, Tacoma.

Mr. Smith was a member of the Masonic lodge, the I. O. O. F., the Methodist church and the Rotary club. He was also a member of the Washington Education association and the Nationl [stet] Education association.

Funeral services, in the hand of Buckley-King of Tacoma, were held Saturday afternoon. Interment was in a Centralia cemetery on Monday.

The pallbearers were all former students of Mr. Smith at Napavine and Adna. They were Robert Clinton of Tacoma, Alexander Carroll of Chehalis, Lewis Young, Leslie Tramm and Vaino Waltar of Adna, and Nelson Fay of Centralia.

Source: The Advocate, 6 August 1940 page 3. Microfilm available at Washington State Library, 6880 Capitol Boulevard South, Tumwater, Washington 98512

Transcribed by Kathryn Lester. She has no further information on this individual.

[Editor's note: Kirby J. Smith is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park (Sticklin Greenwood Cemetery) in Centralia, Lewis Co., Washington.]