Friends in this community were grieved on Saturday to learn of the death of Walter David Smith, two-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Smith of Wilmore, which occurred that day at Wesley hospital in Wichita. He had been ill for the past several weeks, and a patient in the hospital for the past two weeks under treatment for tubercular meningitis.

Funeral services were held from the Greensburg Methodist church on Tuesday morning at 10:30 o�clock, conducted by Rev. W. J. Thomas of Wilmore. Interment was in Fairview cemetery.

Obituary - Walter David Smith

Walter David Smith was born March 22, 1945, in Wichita, Kansas, and died August 30, 1947 at Wesley Hospital in Wichita at the age of two years, five months and eight days.

David, as he was known by everyone, was baptized in the Methodist church at Wilmore on November 4, 1945, by the Rev. W. J. Thomas. His winning smile and beautiful personality made him the object of affection to all who came in contact with him. Our loss here will be Heaven�s gain, another bright and shining jewel has gone home.

He leaves to mourn his loss, his parents, Walter C. and Billie J. Smith, and sister, Ruth Evelyn of Wilmore; his great-grandmother, Mrs. Tom Kitchen, Henrietta, Mo.; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Smith of Wilmore and Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Hamil of Wichita; three aunts, Mrs. Dale Davis of Mullinville, Mrs. Robert Tanner of Wichita, and Miss Mary Smith of Wichita; one uncle, Ray Smith of Wilmore; four cousins, Rodney and Priscilla Tanner of Wichita; Darold Dean and Kenneth Davis of Mullinville.

Grieving today with my heart bowed down
With a sorrow almost too great to bear,
I think if heaven, and how nice it must be
Since David has just gone there.

His loving hands and darling ways
Are a joy to the angels above;
And he is at home with his Maker up there,
In that place of eternal love.

And tho� my heart is so full of pain
And sorrow that just doesn�t slack,
I think of the joy in Heaven today,
And I couldn�t ask for him back.

To live in this world, where I know so well
There is sorrow and sin and care,
So I think of Heaven and how nice it must be
Since David has just gone there.

The above poem was contributed by David�s great-aunt, Mrs. Claude (Rowene Cobb) Paxton.

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Thanks to Nancy Smith for transcribing and contributing the above obituary to this web site!

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