17260 SIMEON MOZART SMITH
 9 Oct 1926 - 26 Nov 1985
Died in Charleston, South Carolina
Interred in Crouch Cemetery, Gay, Georgia 

SIMEON MOZART SMITH, JR., affectionately known to everyone as "Snuffy,° first gazed at the world in  Atlanta, GA, in October 1926. His parents were Simeon Mozart and Patti Mann Smith. Snuffy attended school in Greenville, a small community 45 miles southwest of Atlanta.

Snuffy's two years immediately after high school were spent at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he participated in Naval ROTC and the V-12 programs. The popularity and respect accorded him at Chapel Hill were affirmed when, as a sophomore, he was elected president of the ATO Fraternity.

Snuffy received a congressional appointment to West Point in July 1945 and, courageously attired in a Naval uniform, joined the Class of ‘49. He quickly demonstrated to his classmates, and on occasion to upperclassmen, that growing up in Greenville provided him with an immense store of humorous memories of life in a small southern town. If a sense of humor about one's circumstances and one's self is a useful trait for withstanding both the buffeting of life and the rigors of Plebe year, Snuffy came well-equipped to survive the stresses of West Point. His classmates very quickly recognized that Snuffy also was a caring and decent man. In the tradition of the south, he took his soldiering seriously, yet his southern style and manners, coupled with his gentle humor, made Snuffy a desired companion as well as a suitor to a variety of lovely ladies. In addition to his social graces, he was a generous, loyal, and dependable friend to all privileged to know him.

Not surprisingly, Snuffy served his country long and well. Commissioned in the Field Artillery, he began his career attending a series of schools, ending with the Artillery School at Ft. Sill. As Artillery School drew to a close in July 1950, the Korean Conflict exploded. Snuffy was assigned to the First Cavalry Division, 99th Field Artillery Battalion, in Korea beginning in August 1950. He served in the Korean Conflict until November 1951, before being ordered to Ft. Benning.

At Ft. Benning, he met an attractive, young Georgian named Sue Blackmar, and their relationship blossomed into love. The couple wed in July 1953 and remained devoted to each, other until Snuffy's untimely demise. One month after their wedding Snuffy, with Sue, left for duty with a Field Artillery battalion in Germany.

In Germany, Snuffy and Sue began their family with the birth of the first of their three daughters, Susan. Snuffy was also promoted to captain and company commander in Germany. In December 1955, he transferred with his unit to Ft. Ord, CA, and remained with the battalion until he was reassigned back to Ft. Sill, OK, in July 1956. At Ft. Sill, their second daughter, Ann Winston, arrived on the scene.

The family next proceeded to Clemson College, SC, where Snuffy was assigned to the ROTC. He had always taken great pleasure in reading and, like many southemers, Snuffy was fascinated with the English language and literature. While assigned to the ROTC unit at Clemson, Snuffy began taking courses in English literature. An assignment to the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his master's degree in English in 1961, came next. His graduate degree became the precursor to Snuffy's return to West Point where, during 1961-65, he imbued the cadets with some of his own enthusiasm for the language. While teaching at the Academy, he earned a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania with a thesis titled, Carson McCullers: A Critical Introduction.

After completing CGSC, he served for two years in Thailand with the MAAG on GEN Stillwell's staff. Upon return from Thailand in 1967, Snuffy completed his service career in the Department of Army, Personnel Operations, retiring in 1970 as a lieutenant colonel. The family was completed in Washington, DC, when their third daughter, Elisabeth Dana, was born.

Upon retirement, Snuffy immediately began a second career teaching-something he had grown to love as assistant professor of English at the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC. For the next 15 years, Snuffy rejoiced in both his family and the nurturing of young minds, as he introduced and excited his students with the glories of the English language. He and Sue became the pride-filled grandparents of nine grandchildren.

In November 1985, Snuffy was suddenly, and much too soon, taken from his family by a massive heart attack. He lived his life as a generous, compassionate, loyal, and loving family man. No man can leave a more important heritage. His family misses him, as do his classmates, both of whom he left with cherished memories that will never fade. Snuffy was interred with military honors in the family plot in Gay, GA.
 
 



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