Orin Garner Smith's Obituary
Orin Garner Smith, May 23, 1932 - April 26, 2025. Born Mobile, Alabama, the son of Glenn and Ruby Smith; died Cypress, Texas.
Survivors include two brothers Marriner Smith and wife Jane, Ronald Smith and wife Sandy, Sister-In-Law Kathy Smith. Son Frank Smith and wife Gale Page daughter Karen Taylor and husband Charles, Son-in-law Peter Munson , six grandchildren (Brandon Taylor (wife Laura), Kyle Taylor (wife Emi), Zach Munson (wife Jordan), Hallie Smith, Hannah Munson (fiance Tevon Stephens Brown) and Hunter Taylor (fiance Mallory Makris) two great-grandchildren Eleanor and Hollis Taylor. Life-long friend Maxwell Hale.
He was predeceased by his wife, Julia Helen Horn Smith, December 6, 2009, his daughter, Julia Gordon Munson, April (22), 2022 and brother Glenn Smith 1987.
Orin and Helen were married on December 19, 1952 in Alabama.
After graduating from Mobile High School, 1948, he enrolled at Birmingham Southern College, from which he graduated with a B.A. in English in 1955. He enlisted in the Alabama National Guard in 1948 and was mobilized into the U.S. Army in 1951, and served in Korea in the 8055 M.A.S.H.; and subsequently served in the U.S. Army Reserve to 1958.
Further formal education included M. Div. from Garrett Theological Seminary, 1959; M. Ed. in Counseling, University of Houston, 1985, and D. Min. from Texas Christian University, 1989.
Orin served as a minister in the Methodist Church from 1955 to 1971; in the United Church of Christ from 1971 to 1980; and again in the Methodist Church until 2018. He was the pastor at churches in Wheeler, Indiana; Hamlet, Indiana; Chicago,Illinois; West Lafayette, Indiana; East Lansing, Michigan; Topeka, Kansas, Spring, Texas, Bay City, Texas; Houston, Texas; Port Arthur, Texas and retired from Klein United Methodist in Spring, Texas.
In lieu of donations, the family asks that donations in his memory be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or to Doctors Without Borders .
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