Cecil O. Smires Jr, 69, of New London, TX, died Mon, May 3, 1999, in the Henderson Hospital. He was born Oct 8, 1929, in Snow Hill, Ark, to Cecil O Smires Sr and Norma Gist Smires. He had been a resident of New London for the past 30 years and had formerly lived in Kalkaska for five years.
Mr. Smires was a veteran of the Korean War, serving as a Corporal in the U.S. Army.
He married Berta Cook in Overton on Jul 25, 1953.
Mr. Smires was a field foreman for Amoco Oil Company for 18 years, retiring in 1986. He was a member of the Rocky Mount Baptist Church of Overton.
Mr. Smires was preceded in death by father C.O. Smires Sr. in 1976 and daughter in law Marcia Smires in 1987.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Berta Smires of New London; sons Larry Smires of New London and Jerry (Shirley) Smires of Overton; daughter Vicki (Gary) Helsel of New London; mother Norma Smires of Overton; brother Jim (Kay) Smires of Kilgore, TX; sisters Willene (Wallace) Moore of Overton and Diane (Don) Davis of Lake Cherokee, TX; grandchildren, Sherry, Smires, Angela Smires, Melissa Helsel, Bo Helsel, Brittany Smires, and Emily Smires; brothers in law and sisters in law, Overned and Jesse Cook of Liberal, KS, Norman and Clara Cook of Kilgore, Elsie and Don Moffet of Overton, Shirley and Jim Gibbs and Danny and Carolyn Cook, all of New London, Sam Bewley of Lake Cherokee, and Harold and Billie Garrett of Arp, TX; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Services were held May 6 at the Cottle-Pearson Funeral Home chapel; Reverends Bill Peery and Atwell Hankins officiated. Burial was in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery near New London.
