William Alpha “Budd” Smith of Fort Worth, husband, father, grandfather, educator, died Oct. 16. He was 80. He was born on June 20, 1946, in Middleburg, Ky., to Narine and Abner Smith. Throughout his life, he demonstrated a deep commitment to his faith, his family, and the education and spiritual development of others. He devoted much of his professional life to theological education, serving at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as professor of foundations of education from 1979 to 2003. He was one of the founders of B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary as senior fellow of ministry and formation from 2003 to 2016. His passion for teaching extended well beyond the classroom. A longtime and faithful member of Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth, he taught adult Sunday school. He was also actively involved with the Oxford Study program. His greatest joy was his family, and he cherished every opportunity to be involved in their lives. He was preceded in death by his parents, Narine and Abner Smith; and his beloved granddaughter, Brinsley Michelle Smith. He is survived by his wife, Cloe Smith; son, Todd Smith and his wife, Jennifer; grandchildren, Braylon and Briggston Smith; and niece and nephews, Greg Williams, Jamie Jo Williams, and Jeff Williams and his wife, Lori. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Oct. 29, at Gambrell Street Baptist Church, 1616 W. Gambrell Street, Fort Worth. The family will receive friends at the church prior to the service from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Interment will be at Laurel Land Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to the Marsh Institute for Chaplains, P.O. Box 2, Floresville, Texas 78114, or at marshinstitute.org/donate.
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