Dr. Jack M. Smith

A memorial service for Jack M. Smith will be held at 2 o’clock Thursday afternoon, August 1 at First Presbyterian Church with The Rev. Dr. William Bouknight and the Rev. Bryan Bult officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in Jackson Hall. A private committal service will be held at a later date. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family. Dr. Smith passed away on July 27, 2019. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Thelma Smith, as well as his brother Lawrence Smith. He was born on August 6, 1935 in Florence, SC, where he also grew up. He was a 1953 graduate of McClenaghan High School, where he exceled in athletics and academics. He was awarded an academic scholarship to study at Wofford College, where he was President of his senior class, a member of the Kappa Alpha Order, and a member of the Senior Order of Gnomes. He graduated in 1957, after which he entered the Medical College of South Carolina. Upon being awarded the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1961, he interned in Charleston and served for two years as a staff surgeon for the US Army Weapons Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1969, following which he entered practice with Drs. Ledyard and Paysinger in Columbia. Dr. Smith served as an accomplished, compassionate neurosurgeon from 1969 to 2000. During his career he held many leadership roles, including serving as Chief of Staff and on the Board of Trustees at Richland Memorial Hospital, President of the South Carolina Association of Neurological Surgeons, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at USC School of Medicine. In partnership with his wife Sarah, Dr. Smith was an active member of the Columbia community, involved in numerous civic, social, and philanthropic organizations, including serving on the board of the Columbia Museum of Art and the Board of the Oliver Gospel Mission. A man of great faith and also a man of science, Dr. Smith was an active member of Trenholm Road United Methodist Church and later an equally engaged member of First Presbyterian Church. A knowledgeable oenophile, Dr. Smith was a member of several wine clubs. Among his many other interests, he enjoyed world travel, hunting, golf, and the arts. Above all else, Dr. Smith cherished time with family and friends. Dr. Smith is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sarah Jeter Smith, his children Alison, Jack (Lisa), and Russell (Tammy); grandchildren Frances, Jackson, Sarah Grace, and Annalise Smith; sisters-in-law Clara Smith, Barbara Jeter, and Jeannie Jeter; and numerous nieces and nephews. Memorials may be sent to Oliver Gospel Mission, 1100 Taylor St., Columbia SC 29201, First Presbyterian Church, 1324 Marion St., Columbia, SC 29201, or Trenholm Road UMC, 3401 Trenholm Rd., 29204. Memories and condolences may be shared at ShivesFuneralHome.com.

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Dr. Jack M. Smith

August 6, 1935 - July 27, 2019