Henry Clay Smith Jr., 83, husband of Eleanor Lee Smith, passed away Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, in Versailles.
Henry was born in Lexington on Oct. 5, 1938, to the late Henry Clay Smith and Margaret Byron Smith. Henry was an army veteran of Patton’s Tank Battalion and served two years reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. After the military, Henry joined the Lexington Fire Department with a distinguished career of 20 years and then furthered that career with the Lexington Fayette County Urban Government Fire Department for another 20-plus years.
Henry was a Kentucky Colonel, and while he worked on the fire department, he also owned and operated a 10-acre horse farm in Woodford County housing and breeding Western Pleasure Quarter horses. The distinguished stallions “Cutter’s Bid” and “Doc’s Re-Run” were the most notable. Doc’s Re-Run placed second in the World Quarter Horse Congress Western Pleasure Class and his first sire “Hard Scramble” was another World Class Quarter Horse Congress Western Pleasure Class qualifier.
After retiring from his career as a fireman, he married Eleanor “Sis” Roberts and they began their 35-year marriage on his horse farm and turned it into a home for them both.
Henry was proceeded in death by his brother William (Bunny) Thomas Smith, Donald Lee (Brenda) Smith, Caroline (Gary) Marshall and survived by his sister Inez (Ted) Burgess, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at Clark Funeral Home, 241 Rose Hill Ave. Versailles. A graveside service will follow immediately at Versailles Cemetery. Pallbearers and honorary pallbearers will be Tom Richardson, Gerald Phillips, William T. Smith Jr., Brian Hilton, Rick Deaton, David Roberts, Kenny Roberts and Glynn Roberts.
In lieu of flowers, the family wishes contributions to be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105 and to Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center, 110 Conn Terrace, Lexington, Ky. 40508.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.clarklegacycenter.com