James is survived by his wife of 36 years, Linda Foeh Smith of Hallettsville, and sons Brian James Smith and wife Joy of Houston, and Brent Matthew Smith of Houston. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Cody Kutach Smith, Abigail Grace Smith, and Bailey Faith Smith all of Houston. He is also survived by sister Mary Ann Pekar and husband Harvey of Yoakum, brother Daniel and wife Geralyn of BeBe, and sister-in-law Dorothy Smith of Hallettsville..

James was preceded in death by his parents, Milner and Adella Smith, his brother Joe Smith, and niece Brenda Smith.

James grew up in Yoakum where he was baptized a Catholic, and graduated from Yoakum High School. He moved to Austin and began his employment with the Lower Colorado River Authority in 1972. On June 15, 1974, he married Linda Foeh in the Zion Lutheran Church in Moulton, Texas. After living in Austin for seven years, they moved back to Hallettsville to raise their family. James continued his work for LCRA at the Fayette Power Project. He retired in 2004 after 32 years of service.

James suffered from kidney failure for many years. After being on dialysis, he was blessed with a kidney transplant from an unknown donor. The generosity of this unknown person gave him almost seventeen years of life, for which he was forever grateful.

James was a man who took pleasures in the simple things in life. He loved to garden and share his vegetables with family and friends. He loved animals, especially his dogs Hans and Lady. The saddest days in his life were the days he had to put them to sleep. More recently, he adopted two stray cats. First he began to feed them, and the next thing we knew, they had names. James appeared to be a hard man, but he had a big heart. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

James loved to fish, but even more, he enjoyed watching others catch fish from his pier. He enjoyed his place in Sargent, and he always had a project going on. During the past few years, he had added on another bedroom and bathroom for his growing family. Sargent is where he taught his sons the enjoyment of fishing, and later his grandson Cody (who is quite the fisherman). He sat on the pier with Abby for hours while she fished in her first Hunts for Heroes fishing tournament this past summer. Even Bailey was already a "Sargent girl".

James enjoyed time in his shop where he dispensed loads of advice to Brent and Brian's friends. It was his "man cave" where he watched football and fried his fish. He was a "fixer" and would think on things until he had found a solution. He was proud of his sons, and he would say that his greatest achievement in his life was to be able to provide his sons with an education and a good start in life. His last "job" was to help Brent get settled in his own home.

James had all these quirky little sayings, like "Don't take any wooden nickels" and his recent favorite "How you holding up?"

Our husband, father, and friend has left this earth, but he will live forever in our hearts.

Funeral Service: 11 am, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011 at St. Peter Lutheran Church of Hallettsville. Visitation: 3 pm, Thursday, at Kubena Funeral Home. Prayer Service: 7 pm, Thursday, at Kubena Funeral Home. Officiate: Rev. Dr. Alan Williams. Pallbearers: Mike Foeh, David Parkinson, Pat Prihoda, Josh Smith, Scot Smith, Justin Smith, Mark Pekar, and Quinn Pekar. Honorary Pallbearers: Jim Taylor, Dr. Harvey Renger, and Almon Loos. Burial: Witting Cemetery. Memorials: St. Peter Lutheran Fellowship Hall, Witting Cemetery Association, or The Kidney Foundation.

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