Cecil Smith

Cecil Charles Smith, born on November 5, 1941, in Kansas City, Kansas, was the third of four children born to Cecil Smith and Robirda Stephens Smith. His mother knew her children and she called Cecil her business-minded child.
Cecil attended Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, graduating from Sumner High School in 1960. He served as an Air Policeman in the United States Air Force from 1960 to 1964 and was honorably discharged, then studied electronics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Cecil worked in electronics at ERC, King Radio, and Bendix from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. In 1976, he began his career in the Maintenance Department of the United States Postal Service’s Bulk Mail Center where he worked until his retirement in 2017.
Cecil began attending Antioch Baptist Church with his family at a young age and accepted Christ during Vacation Bible School under the pastorate of Rev. W.M. Jackson. On January 26, 1969, he married the love of his life, Dorothy Roberts, who also had grown up at Antioch, and they remained happily married for 56 years. To this union two children were born, daughter, Venita Ann, and son, Cecil Charles, Jr. who preceded him in death. Cecil also was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, Hesteen Rosenthall, Erma Mitchell, and Jemmie Smith, and their spouses, nephew Rodney Harris, as well as his Roberts family in-laws, Aaron and Mary Roberts, Claud Roberts, Leon Roberts, and Darlene Miller.
One of Cecil’s greatest loves was working in the church. During the early-1980s, the late Deacon Otie Williams recruited Cecil to join Antioch’s Finance Committee and groomed him to become the next church treasurer. Cecil faithfully served as a Trustee of the church and church Treasurer until his death.

Cecil had many hobbies and interests, the greatest of which was reading. He loved to read anything and everything and had library cards at multiple libraries
throughout the metropolitan area. Cecil loved all kinds of music and had quite an extensive music collection, although he loved jazz and blues the best. Cecil loved anything related to math and science and was known to take random math classes at the local community college just for fun. He loved photography, sports, TV news programs, and the Discovery, National Geographic, and Smithsonian channels. He also knew quite a bit about computers and didn’t mind helping out family and friends who had questions or needed help figuring out their devices.
On February 15, 2025, Cecil departed this life at the age of 83 at Providence Medical Center. He leaves to cherish his memory: His devoted wife, Dorothy Smith; his loving daughter, Venita Smith; 12 nieces and nephews, Timothy Smith, Anthony Harris, William Mitchell, Patrick Mitchell, Fredrick Mitchell, Jemmie Smith, Jr., Pamela Smith, Lisa Walton, Levi Jordan, Brian Jordan, Darnese Miller, and Anita Miller and their families; and a host of cousins, in-laws, and friends.

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