Avery “A.L.” Lee Smith, 68, of Andrews passed away on Saturday, October 15, 2016 in Andrews.
Cremation is under the personal care of McNett Funeral Home in Andrews. Inurment services will be at 2:30 PM Friday, December 9, 2016 at the Dallas-Fort Worth National VA Cemetery with military honors. Please celebrate his life by visiting www.mcnettfuneralhome.com.
Avery was born on June 6, 1948 in Hamilton, Texas to Avery Elsie Smith and Mildred Lenorah Kinsey Smith. He was raised in Odessa and graduated from Permian High School in 1967. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a Staff Sergeant during the Vietnam Conflict, where he worked as crew chief on a tanker fueling planes. He graduated with his Bachelor’s in Administration from the University of Texas Permian Basin, and received his Certified Respiratory Therapist Degree from Odessa College. He had worked for Smith Welding in Odessa as a welder, Odessa Women’s and Children’s Hospital for 8 years as a respiratory therapist, and had been a member of the Odessa Grandview Lions Club. He moved to Andrews in 1996 from Gardendale. He had worked for Permian Regional Medical Center for 20 years as a respiratory therapist. He had been a member of the Mesquite Burners, Christian Motorcycle Association, and was a Baptist. He loved deer hunting every year, loved to fish, and work on metal and weld. He was preceded in death by his nephew, Aaron Smith.
Avery is survived by his 2 sons, Matthew and Adrian Smith of Odessa, parents, Avery and Lenorah Smith of Corpus Christi, sister, Peggy Smith and husband, Bill, of Corpus Christi, 2 nieces, Lacey and Sarah Smith, special friend, Peggy Neinast of Andrews, and Peggy’s children, Christy Lowry and Cassie Kuykendall, Peggy’s 5 grandchildren, and his beloved dog, Molly.
Memorials may be sent to the Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville, where he volunteered and worked at the camp, or the Andrews Mesquite Burners, or the American Cancer Society.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Avery Lee Smith, please visit our
Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
