Dr. Shelton "Butch" Eugene Smith

Dr. Shelton “Butch” Eugene Smith, 73, of St. Louis, Missouri, passed away December 13, 2018. He was surrounded by family and friends. Born in Cardwell, Missouri, a town with a population of less than 1,000 people, he learned the importance of family and hard work. Whether it was picking cotton or working hard on the ball team, his early life continued to influence his work ethic. The love of family and hard work never left him. Dr. Smith was a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and earned multiple degrees. He also earned his Doctoral Degree in Education from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. His career of 50 years in education included being a high school English teacher, coach, high school principal at Hillsboro, school superintendent at Herculaneum, Lindbergh, and Hillsboro. After retiring, he continued working at Missouri Baptist University as a professor and administrator where he was the founder and forefather of graduate leadership programs. He thrived on coaching and mentoring others. His hard work ethic earned him multiple awards and accolades including being the recipient of Southeast Missouri State University’s Alumni Merit Award, serving on the President’s Council for the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, working with the Missouri State Department to develop certification criteria, and serving as President of Missouri Professors of Education. He was also proud of being an Army veteran having served in the Vietnam War and in Germany as a Commander’s Aide. He had many talents and lived life to the fullest. He enjoyed being active and loved all things outdoors including baseball, basketball, fishing, hiking, and bicycling. One of his many talents was never meeting a stranger which made it impossible to go anywhere quickly with him. His personality was bigger than life, and he had a great sense of humor that he used on those he loved most. His smile was contagious and to have met him was to love him. He was a dedicated Christian, leader, and role model. His greatest pride and joy was his family, and he loved them fiercely—his wife, Glenda of 47 years; his two daughters, Heather (Craig) Hamby and Erika (Drew) Sevic; his four grandchildren: Alyssa Hamby, Connor Hamby, Karoline Sevic, and Wyatt Sevic; his mother, Edna Merle Smith of Poplar Bluff and his brother, Tim (Cindy) Smith of Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was preceded in death by his father, U. L. Smith of Poplar Bluff. A visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 18, 2018, at McKnight Crossings Church of Christ, 2515 S. McKnight Road, St. Louis, MO 63124. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on December 19, 2018, at McKnight Crossings Church of Christ. Flowers can be sent to the church or memorial donations can be made to The Shelton and Glenda Smith Scholarship at Missouri Baptist University or to The Shelton and Glenda Smith Trust Educational Scholarship at Southeast Missouri State.

Dr. Shelton "Butch" Eugene Smith

February 24, 1945 - December 13, 2018