Dennis Reves Smith, 93 of Springfield, died on August 31, 2023.
In 1947, Dennis went to work for Lee’s Shoe store in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was quickly promoted and at 19, moved to Springfield as the manager of Lee’s Shoe Store on St. Louis Street. On a blind date, he met Carolyn Jeanne Clark in 1949 and a 74-year love story began.
Their wedding plans were delayed by the Korean Conflict. Dennis served as a yeoman in the Navy on several naval vessels in the early 1950s. Later, Dennis worked for Central Printing Company, established by Carolyn’s parents, Loren and Wilma Clark. In 1970, Dennis and Carolyn bought the business. He also had a twenty-six-year tenure as the “part-time” minister to the Bolivar Church of Christ.
A celebration of Dennis’s life will be held Monday, September 11, at 10:00 a.m. at Greenlawn East Funeral Home, 3540 E. Seminole in Springfield.
The visitation will be held on Sunday afternoon, September 10, from 2 until 4 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Fair Haven Children’s Home in Stafford, Missouri, or the Morrison Cemetery in Rudy, Arkansas.