Richard H. Smith's Obituary
Richard “Rick” Havens Smith, 71, passed away peacefully at Katherine’s Place on May 17, 2025, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was born in Memphis, TN on January 4, 1954, to Robert D. Smith, Jr. and Eloise (Vandiver) Smith. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nancy Hamilton Smith, his daughters, Amy Elizabeth Smith of Fayetteville, AR, and Ashley Smith Smiley (Thomas) of Fort Worth, TX, his grandchild Jaiden Smith (Ashley’s daughter) and his brother Robert (Bob) Smith III of Little Rock AR as well as nieces and nephews; Richard Cosmus Smith (Jessie), Jennifer Paige Cox, Reid Smith, Mimi Carlin (Aaron Wayne), and numerous great nieces, nephews, and a great great nephew. Rick is preceded in death by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Robert D. Smith Jr., his brother Judge Vann Smith (Cathy), sister-in-law Susan Smith, and nephew Robert D. Smith IV.
Growing up, Rick split his time between Marianna, AR, and Little Rock, AR. He graduated from Lee Academy in Marianna in 1972, where he was the President of the Senior Class of the Student Council and co-salutatorian of his high school. Rick attended the University of Arkansas, then continued his education at Phillip County community College and UALR where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and received an outstanding Pledge Award in the spring of 1975.
Rick and Nancy were married on October 9, 1976. They originally met in 2nd grade to 8th grade in Little Rock and grew up down the street from each other. Rick and Nancy were both in the same 2nd grade classroom. They reconnected during their junior year of college when Nancy was a Pi Kappa Alpha Little Sister and Rick recognized her. He was a devoted and caring husband, father to Amy and Ashley, and ‘Granddaddy’ to Jaiden. He enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting, and spending time with friends and family as well as with his beloved Catahoula dog ‘Lady’.
Rick started his career at Windsor Door Company in West Little Rock and then transferred to Sacramento, California. After nine years, he became a partner with Windsor Door of Sacramento where he remained, expanding the company into multiple distribution centers. Following the sale of the company, he relocated to Hot Springs, Arkansas where he opened Smith Door Distributing in Little Rock. His next venture was building a multi-tenant building with an RV & Boat Storage complex at NorthShore Business Park close to the Arkansas River in North Little Rock. After the sale of Smith Door Distributing, he commuted to Fort Worth, TX weekly to work for National Door as a National Sales Manager. His entrepreneurship concluded after opening Garage Door Systems in North Little Rock. Many years later, Rick began having health problems and retired with his wife Nancy in Fayetteville, AR to live closer to their daughter Amy. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards for his work and was well known nationally.
Many thanks to Katherine’s Place at Wedington in Fayetteville for the exceptional care he received over the years by Nurse Sarah, staff, and administration. He was thankful for the time with Bruce and Ron during his stay.
Service will be held at Moore’s Chapel Funeral Home located at 206 W Center St, Fayetteville AR 72701 on May 23, 2025, at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Circle of Life in memory of Richard H. Smith to support patient care and family services at Circle of Life, 901 Jones Road, Springdale AR 72762 or www.givetocircle.org, Big Paws of the Ozarks at https://www.bigpawsozarks.org/donate, Broyles Foundation at https://broylesfoundation.org/donate/, or charity of your choice.
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