Estle Curtis Smith

Estle C. Smith passed away quietly on Friday. He was 96. Estle lived a long and productive life and was well known throughout Oklahoma as a horticulturist, gardener and teacher. He was born in Monroe, OK on June 26, 1917, the third of five children of Otha Tracy Smith and Tinnie T. Gray Smith. He was preceded in death by two sons, Gary Earl Smith and Neil Allen Smith and by his lovely wife of 67 years, Wanda Lorene Fitchett Smith. He was also preceded in death by one brother, Eugene Smith and two sisters, Ella Belle Baker and Eva Terry. His parents instilled in him a love of God and of the good earth and he devoted his life to learning all he could and then sharing his knowledge with anyone who only simply needed to ask. Estle graduated from Monroe High School in 1935 and then worked at home for a year to earn enough money to attend Oklahoma A&M College. He was joined at college by his sister, Ella Belle, and they both met and married their sweethearts in a double wedding ceremony on June 1, 1941. Estle had joined ROTC, so after graduating, Phi Beta Kappa, in June of 1941, he and his bride, Wanda, moved to Camp Wolters, Texas where he served as a range officer. With the advent of WWII, Wanda returned to the farm in Billings, OK to help her parents, Earl and Lila Fitchett. Estle deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations. When the war ended, Estle and Wanda returned to Oklahoma A&M while he completed his teaching credentials in Horticulture. Estle was one of the first teachers hired at Oklahoma State Tech in Okmulgee and he and Wanda bought their first and only home in Okmulgee in 1947. They welcomed their first child, Gary, in 1949, their second child, Cheryl in 1954 and their third, Neil, in 1956. Estle and Wanda became active participants in their community and over the years were involved in Sertoma Club, Boy Scouts, and 4-H Club to name a few. Estle helped found the BALL (Be Active, Live Longer) Group and most recently consulted with the start of the Okmulgee Community Garden. Estle has been a member of the First Baptist Church of Okmulgee since 1947. He taught at Oklahoma State Tech until 1960 and then went to work at Thomas Nursery and Landscape in Tulsa. At the same time, he and Wanda opened Smith Nursery and Landscape from their backyard garden and greenhouse. Estle helped institute the ‘Up With Trees’ program in Oklahoma and is responsible for many of the tree lined homes and highways around Oklahoma. Estle completed his Masters of Science in Horticulture from Oklahoma State University in 1971 and then returned to his real passion, teaching at the Lemley campus of the Tulsa Vo-Tech. He was such an inspirational teacher that he still hears from some of his former students. He taught them not only how to care for and nurture plants; but, more importantly how to care for and nurture human beings. After being corrected, one of his students once told him, “that he was the only man he knew that could step on his toes and not take the shine off his shoes”. Estle retired from teaching in 1982 and he and Wanda retired the greenhouse in 1990. He continued to lecture at local groups throughout eastern Oklahoma and was often consulted in the ways of plants and trees by one and all. He was a loving husband and father and was the primary caregiver for Wanda when her health began to decline. Estle continued to enjoy golf and was very pleased that he was scoring less than his age, even at ninety-five. Estle’s greatest enjoyment, though, was the strength his faith instilled and his love of the Lord. He is survived by his daughter, CAPT Cheryl Gandee,MC,USN and her husband, Tom of Jacksonville, FL. His daughter-in-law, Angela Smith of Chesapeake, Virginia; three grandchildren, Joseph Gandee of Boca Raton, FL, and Justin and Jennifer Smith of Chesapeake Virginia and one brother, Elgin Smith and his wife, Doris of Kingman, AZ. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any of the programs at the First Baptist Church of Okmulgee, and consider planting a tree, or volunteering at a community garden, or simply ‘pass it on’ and help another neighbor. A Celebration of his amazing life will be held at 2:30 p.m. Friday, July 12, 2013 at the First Baptist Church in Okmulgee with Dr. Dennis Taylor officiating. Burial will follow the service at the Okmulgee Cemetery under the direction of the Jackson Funeral Home and Crematory in Okmulgee. Visitation will be held Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Jackson Funeral Home and Crematory in Okmulgee. Pallbearers will be Lee Wilson, Ross Thorman, Kary Neal, Frank Lewis, Don Henson and Randy Weatherford. Honorary Pallbearers will be Joseph Gandee, Justin Smith, Jennifer Smith, Don Burgess, Pam Burgess and Jack Tyree. Military Honors will be conducted by the United States Army and the Patriot Guard Riders.