J. Hulbert Smith, 84, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002, in Fort Worth. Funeral: 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church. Dr. K. Wayne Day and the Rev. William R. Longsworth, officiating. Visitation was 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Thompson’s Harveson & Cole Funeral Home. Burial: Greenwood Memorial Park. Pallbearers: Jim Broiles, Dr. Stanley Cal, Roger Cantu, Lee Griffith, John Paul Miceli, Mike Richards, Dee Smith and William Smith. Honorary pallbearers: R. Hunter Barrett, David Broiles, Roy Coleman, Bob Lowden Jr., Art Palmer, Tom Palmer and Phil Vogel. Memorials: Should friends desire, memorials may be given to Cook Children’s Medical Center. J. Hulbert Smith was born July 23, 1918, in Fort Worth where he attended public schools, graduating from Central High School (now Paschal High School). He attended Texas Christian University before transferring to South Methodist University, where he received his BA and LLB degrees. However, he remained a devoted Horned Frog fan all his life. At the beginning of World War II, he volunteered for the U.S. Navy. He was assigned to Officer Training School at Columbia University in New York City. He served in the Pacific Theater for the remainder of the war, particularly in the Aleutian Islands and Western Pacific areas. He received an honorable discharge as a full lieutenant. Returning to Fort Worth, he married Mary Lydick, with whom he recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Smith practiced law in Fort Worth before serving for several years as in-house counsel for the Lydick Roofing Company. In 1962, he went into partnership with his brother and helped form Smith Studios, an architectural arts firm which has successfully completed more than 350 projects in 15 states, including numerous churchs, hospitals and other public buildings. Smith served on the boards of the First United Methodist Church, the Child Guidance Center, the United Way and as president of the Downtown Kiwanis Club. J. Hulbert Smith was blessed with a keen wit and a warm sense of humor. He believed in laughter, always able to see the funny side of life and he used this talent to help other peopleboth family members and friends-face the uncertainties of life. During World War II, he was the captain of two U.S. Navy ships and one of his crew members once wrote, “Captain Smith kept us going, even in tough times. He was always able to make us laugh.” Known for his kindness, Smith loved people and saw only the best in everyone. Survivors: wife, Mary; children, Linda Smith Boiles of Fort Worth, Ginger Cantu and husband, Roger, of Chicago, IL and Sharon Smith of Dodge City, KS; brother, Gordon W. Smith; grandchildren, Jim, Lisa and Kathy, Linda and John Paul, Ginny, Lynn and Lee; 11 great-grandchildren; nephew, Dee Smith and niece, Blaine Smith. Thompson’s Harveson & Cole Funeral Home, 702 Eighth Ave., 817-336-0345 .
