Larry Smith

Larry Smith, 80, of Mt. Erie, Illinois, passed away on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Deaconess Regional Healthcare Services in Marion, Illinois.

Born on July 26, 1945, in Fairberry, Illinois, to Payton Rolland and Mildred (McKitrick) Smith, Larry married Patty Smith on June 22, 1969, at Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church. She preceded him in death on December 13, 2011. He served in the United States Army and later worked at AMF in Olney, Web Printing in Fairfield, and retired from Airtex in Fairfield. Larry was deeply proud of having donated twenty-four gallons of blood to the Red Cross. Creative with both his hands and his mind, he designed and built race cars from the ground up and constructed a motorcycle trike long before such vehicles became popular. He found joy in drag racing and attending car shows, and he was a faithful member of Victory Baptist Church.

He is survived by his children, Larry P. (Cathy) Smith Jr. of McLeansboro, Illinois, and Darlena Marie Smith of Belle-Rive, Illinois; two sisters, Martha (Vic) Both and Patricia Rigg; seven grandchildren, Maria Christine Mitchell, Larry P. Smith III, Christopher Lee Mayberry, Mallory Nichole Bullington, Charles Drake Smith, Carlin Michael Depew, and Holly Whitlock; and eleven great-grandchildren.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Payton Rolland and Mildred Smith, his wife Patty Smith, and his brothers Lyle Rutger and Verle Rutger.