H.R. No. 1172
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever treasure their
memories of Jones Odell Smith of Midland, who died on January 12,
2015, at the age of 78; and
WHEREAS, Odell Smith was born in Belton on June 30, 1936, to
Tom Willie Smith and Mary Irene Jones; by the age of five, he knew
that he wanted to be a police officer, and he went on to enjoy a
distinguished career in law enforcement that spanned four and half
decades; and
WHEREAS, After serving as a military police officer with the
United States Army, Mr. Smith joined the Midland Police Department
in 1961; he subsequently became an officer with the Texas
Department of Public Safety, and he retired from the Midland
College Police Department in 2007, at the age of 71; during the
1980s, he also worked for Sun Oil Company as a right-of-way and
claims representative; and
WHEREAS, Joined in matrimony to Linda Smith for 48 years,
Mr. Smith was the father of four daughters, Leisha, Phylis, Sheila,
and Paula, and he was later blessed with four granddaughters; he was
a longtime member of First Baptist Church and the Emmaus Community;
and
WHEREAS, A devoted family man and an exemplary peace officer,
Odell Smith lived a rich and purposeful life, and he leaves behind a
record of service that his loved ones can remember with pride; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Jones Odell Smith
and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his
wife, Linda Smith; to his daughters, Leisha Smith, Phylis Meek,
Sheila Wiedeman, and Paula Hassinger and her husband, David; to his
granddaughters, Rachel Patteson, Sarah Wiedeman, and Sydney and
Whitney Dell; to his sisters, Clarine Deaver and Eloise Wilson; and
to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Odell
Smith.
Smith
Craddick
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1172 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 26, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House