H. Kirby Smith

Retired Col. H. Kirby Smith, age 91 died Feb. 6, 2019. Col. Smith was born in Miami, Florida on Aug. 14, 1927. He grew up in Miami and Corvallis, Oregon and graduated from Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, GA in 1945. He joined the U.S. Navy in Jacksonville on 9 August 1945 and was released from active duty on 5 Feb. 1947 and entered the University of South Carolina. Graduated in June of 1950 with a B.S. in Chemistry. In June of 1953 he graduated from the University of Miami School of Law and was admitted to the Florida Bar. From August of 1953 to September of 1956 he was an investigator and prosecutor in the Dade County Solicitor’s Office in Miami which was merged into the State Attorney’s Office in 1956. From 1957 until called to active duty by the USAF in January of 1959 he was in private law practice and City Attorney for Naples, Florida. From January 1959 until his retirement from the USAF on August 31, 1982 at Clark AB, P.I., Col. Smith was a member of the Judge Advocate’s Dept. He was a graduate of Air Command & Staff College (69-70) and Air War College (74-75) at Maxwell AFB. From 75-77 he was the Chief Military Judge of 2nd Circuit (SE-US & Panama) and from 77-82 was Chief Judge for the 7th Judicial Circuit (Far East). Col. Smith was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, The Legion of Merit, and other service awards. Upon retirement in 1982, Col. & Mrs. Smith retired to Niceville where he became a member of the First Baptist Church of Niceville. In 1975 he received a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Troy State.

During his legal career, he was a Rotarian while SJA at Williams AFB, AZ. While living in Miami he was a member of the Elks Club and Masonic Lodge of South Miami.

Col. Smith was an active member of the Eglin Golf Course and enjoyed tennis.

Col. Smith is preceded in death by his loving wife Dorothy Charley of Montego Bay, Jamaica. Survivors include his son, Charles of Niceville and three grandchildren, Shannan (Matt) Poling of Colorado Springs, CO, Kirby (Ashlee) Smith of Conway, AR, and Brittany (Aerrick) Wimsatt of Tallahassee, FL.  He also has two great-grandchildren, Luke Poling and Leighton Smith. 

Kirby will be interred with military honors at 11:00 am on Friday, February 22. 2019 at Heritage Gardens Cemetery.

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