From the Frederick Press, Friday, Oct. 18, 1935
Funeral rites of William Van Smith, 27, who died in a fire on the B. Robey farm one mile west and 4 1\2 miles north of Frederick, early Friday morning, were held from the Church of Christ Saturday afternoon. Services were in charge of S.M. Moser, minister
A quartet, Mrs. Edwin Xumwalt, Jess Rhodes and Gregg Rhodes, sang several hymns.
Flower girls: Mrs. Dent Smith, Mrs. Hays Fondren, Mrs. Roy Courtney, Mrs Seymour Snelling, Mrs. Louis MeLeroy, Mrs. Dan Pickrel, Mrs Hary Storms and Mrs. Odell Parks.
Casket bearers: Dent Smith, Seymour Snelling, Hays Fondren, J. P. Waldrop, Priestley Pace, Dan Pickrell, and Louis McLeroy.
Interment was made in Highland Cemetery.
William Van Smith was born in Frederick July 12, 1908. All of his life was spent in this community excepting a few years when his parents resided at Henryetta, Okla. His father, the late William Smith, a railroad man, was killed in a wreck Nov. 9, 1918. Next spring the widow and children returned to Frederick.
Van attended the local public schools. Because of his cheerful disposition he was popular with classmates and instructors. Despite being small in tature he had plenty of pluck and had little difficulty in making the Bearcat football team.
He was married to Miss Fay Tucker of near Tipton, Nov. 12, 1927. Van appears to have had mre than his share of hard luck. About four years ago while operating the Tucker farm, the house and contents were destroyed, taking all his posessions. Cause of the blaxe is unknown, no member of the family having been present at the time.
For a number of years preceding his death he had been farming an 80-acre tract near the Burt lake, formerly belonging to Jeff D. William, deceased, his grandfather. As it had no house, Smith and his young wife had been residing on a farm belonging to B. Robey and operated by Dent Smith. Van Smith did so well that Mrs. Robey had decided to let him handle a place belonging to her near Consolidated no.2 school house, said to be one of the best in the community.
Wednesday evening, October 9, Smith brot Mrs. Smith to the maternity ward of the Frederick clinic hospital. At 9 o'clock p.m. Friday she gave birth to a son, William Burt, much to his delight, as Van was the only male member of the Smith family. From the time Mrs. Smith was in the hospital until the babe was born, Smith was almost constantly with her.
In addition to his widow and son, he is survived by his sister, Mrs. Houston Faubion, from 4 miles south of Frederick, and other relatives as follows, all of whom were present at the funeral: Mrs. Anna William, grandmother, Frederick; Mrs. Geo Farrell, aunt, Frederick; Mrs. W. J. Stewart, Indiahoma, an aunt; Mrs. W. H. Youngblood, Kerrville, Texas, aunt; Aulton Williams, Santa Rosa Texas, uncle; Chas. Hadley, an uncle; and Mr. and Mrs. Roy Herring, cousins, all of Wichita, Kansas; Olen Williams, Oklahoma City, cousin; Hubert Williams, Snyder cousin; Mr and Mrs Amos Williams, McAlester, uncle and aunt; Mrs. Ted Abernathy, Oklahoma City, cousin; Mrs Herman Stewart, of Indiahoma, cousin. Most of the above were accompanied by other members of their families, Ollie and Roy Tucker, of Hydro, cousins of Mrs. Tucker also attended the rites. Mrs. Van Smith and young son were dismissed from the hospital Wednesday and are now residing with her parents near Tipton. Mrs Faubion said that in a month or so they would probably make their home with her.
Submitted by Rev. Linda Pope on April 30, 2002.