James B. Smith, Jr.

Published 12:22 am Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mr. James Bonner “J.B.” Smith, Jr., 86, passed away on Friday, December 16, 2011.
The funeral service will be conducted Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Wilkerson Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow in Pinewood Memorial Park.
J. B., the son of the late James Bonner and Mary Beddard Smith, was a native and lifelong resident of Greenville. He graduated from Greenville High School and the US Merchant Marine Academy, after which he served in World War II. He owned and operated Smith Insurance and Realty Company until he retired in 1994.
He was a member of the Greenville Jaycees and served in a number of leadership positions in both the local and state levels. J. B. was a dedicated member of the Greenville Kiwanis Club for over 50 years, serving as President in 1967 and in 2000 was the recipient of the George F. Hixson Fellowship Award. A former Eagle Scout, he was actively involved in the Eagle Scout program. He was a loyal member of the Greenville Coffee Club where many stories were told, jokes shared, grandchildren bragged on and solutions proposed to solve all the worlds’ problems. He was a lifetime member of Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church.
J.B. had a passion for the outdoors and loved his hunting and fishing buddies.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Becky Smith Barnes and two sisters.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marian Ward Smith; daughters, Cathy Crawford of Greenville, Camille Smith and husband, James Robbins, of Greenville, and Laurie Snow and husband, Sam, of Washington; son-in-law, Paul Barnes of Virginia Beach; grandchildren, Carl Crawford, III, David Crawford, Marc Crawford, Mary Beth Barnes, Carson Parker, Adelaide Robbins, Marian Robbins, Payne Snow; great-grandson, Parker Crawford; and sister, Nancy Miller of Largo, FL.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 3 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Jarvis Memorial United Methodist Church, 510 S. Washington St., Greenville, NC 27834 or East Carolina Council Boy Scouts of America, Pitt District, 313 Boy Scout Boulevard, Kinston, NC 28501.
Online condolences at www.wilkersonfuneralhome.com.