Dan was born December 25, 1936 in McGregor, TX to Henry Smith, Sr. and Lettie Eitel Smith and passed away on December 12, 2025 at home surrounded by his family.

He lived in McGregor, Texas until his family moved to Waco, Texas where he attended Waco High School.  Upon graduation, he went on to serve in the United States Air Force, stationed in England.

After his service in the Air Force he returned back to Waco where he met Patsy Harlow at the Waco Civic Theater.  Dan and Pat were married on October 7, 1966 at Calvary Baptist church in Waco.  Later, Dan and Pat moved to Porland, Texas and were long-time members of the First Baptist Church of Portland.

Dan's favorite story to tell was of his conversion experience accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior while traveling on the road from Vanderbilt, Texas in 1976.  If you knew Dan for any period of time you knew of his love for Jesus; he made sure of that.

Dan and Pat moved to Marshall, Texas in 1995 to be close to their daughter and son-in-law.  He was a substitute teacher and became known as "The Singing Sub" in 4 different school districts because of his passion for singing.  Along with singing, Dan had a passion for telling other people about Jesus.

He enjoyed travelling, especially taking cruises with his wife Pat.  He fulfilled a desire to travel to the Holy Land; a destination he longed to experience.

He is preceded in death by his parents, 6 sisters, 3 brothers and wife Pat Smith.

He is survived by his son, Kirkland Smith of Marshall; daughter, Dana Neel and husband Mark Neel of Marshall; grandchildren, Reagan Burns and husband Trace Burns of Tyler, Jennings Neel of Marshall, Moorea Smith of Plymouth, Minnesota, and Jaeger Smith of Lacross, Wisconsin and great grandchildren, Riley Neel of Marshall and Kolson Burns of Tyler along with other family and friends.

The family would like to say thank you to Accent Care Hospice for the wonderful care provided to our beloved Dad and GaGa over the last several months.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the building fund for the First Methodist Church of Marshall.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, January 3, 2026, in the Chapel of Downs Funeral Home.