David Wayne Smith

David Wayne Smith, originally of Gainesville, Texas, age 70, passed away from cancer on June 5, 2025, at his home in Syracuse, Nebraska, surrounded by his family.

David was born on February 21, 1955 in Gainesville, Texas to Walter Cleveland Smith and Ruby Imajean Turner. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Rosanna (Rosie) Smith; daughters Rebecca Conditt-Schaber, Trena Reed, and Rachel Smith; sons-in-law Randy Reed and Wayne Schaber; grandsons Anthony Conditt, Ethan Conditt, and Alexander Conditt; sisters Linda Alexander and Glenda Smith; and brothers Charles and Glen Smith; as well as eight nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Ruby; son-in-law Nicholas Conditt; and brother-in-law Larry Alexander.

David graduated from Callisburg High School (TX) in 1973. After graduation, he apprenticed with Steve Wilson at a pattern shop in Gainesville, Texas, where his life-long passion for woodworking began. He married Rosie in 1980 and they moved to Indiana in 1984 where he worked at Cunningham Patterns as a patternmaker. He worked his way up to foundry manager and co-owner before retiring in 2015.

David loved God and was active in his local Seventh-day Adventist church serving as a Pathfinder leader and Area Coordinator for 33 years.

He earned his pilot’s license in 2008 and purchased a plane. David loved flying and exploring with his wife. They flew to living history sites, and covered bridge festivals, and homestead sites; they even went to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally one year.

In 2016, they moved to their acreage in Syracuse, Nebraska, to be near their three daughters. They used the space to explore different avenues of sustainable living, though he preferred the term homesteading. They gardened, canned, grew and ground their own grain, made bread with that grain; David even bought a loom and, given time, would have woven cloth for his own clothes. He never met a tool, antique bobble, or old car or truck he didn’t want. David and Rosie loved country living, they spent many quiet winter evenings enjoying a good book and each other’s company.

David was an artist using wood, metal, and clay to express his artistic visions, but wood was his first love–he saw a potential project in every grove of trees. David reveled in the making and giving of unique, hand-crafted gifts. He also enjoyed renovating houses, making vast improvements to his and his daughters’ homes. David believed in being useful and giving back, so he put his skills to use on mission trips to locations like the Dominican Republic and Uruguay, where he helped build churches and schools.

Above all else, David loved God and his family–nothing was more important to him.

This short sketch cannot paint a full picture of his life or express how much he will be missed.

The viewing will be on Thursday, June 12 from 6:00-7:30 pm at Geo. J. Carroll & Son Funeral Home in Gainesville, Texas. The funeral will be held on Friday, June 13 at 1:30 pm at the Gainesville SDA Church, followed by the burial at Mt. Zion Cemetery in Collinsville, Texas.