John David Smith

John David Smith passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at his residence in Spring Branch, Texas. He was born on April 6, 1943, in Crawfordsville, Ind., to parents Lois and Fred Smith. He is survived by his children, Charlie Smith, of Canyon Lake, Texas, and Sharie Miller, of Devine, Texas; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Mary Sue Jordan, of Pearland, Texas, and Ruthie Johnson, of Lubbock, Texas. John was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Emile (Russell) Smith, to whom he was married on July 19, 1963, and enjoyed spending his life with for 58 years. When John was 14 his family moved to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, where he graduated from McAllen High School in 1960. He met his wife Joyce at Pan American College, where he graduated in 1964. John had a successful career as a contractor building homes, apartment buildings, duplexes and metal buildings in the McAllen, Texas area for many years. In addition, he and his wife owned and operated many rental properties in the area. He was an avid flyer and loved his plane, a black Cessna 180, which was widely known as “Black Bart.” John was an active member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and often traveled to regional and national “fly-ins.” He retired to Missouri and developed a private airpark including several homes bordering an airstrip where he and Joyce lived until the time of her death. He enjoyed watching the airplanes land from their home and hosted several friends for informal fly-ins at their home. John also enjoyed woodworking and enjoyed building many things in his shop like cabinets, book shelves and furniture often for family and friends.