Gary Dean Smith went to be with the Lord on December 12, 2025. Funeral services will be Thursday, December 18th at 10:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Weatherford. Burial to follow at Greenwood Cemetery. Viewing will be at Lockstone Funeral Home on the Tuesday and Wednesday before.
Gary was born north of Weatherford on August 16, 1947 to Al and Violet Smith, the youngest of five. He attended Weatherford Public Schools until his high school graduation in 1965. Growing up, he learned a tremendous work ethic that would serve him and everyone he knew his whole life.
He worked various jobs growing up around Weatherford. It was in high school that he took carpentry classes under Mr. A.L. Lee. His love of carpentry and of construction came from those classes, along with working with his uncle Arvest Smith, and later for Lawrence Vogt.
After graduating High School, Gary joined the National Guard and started attending SWOSU while continuing to work in construction. He would meet his wife, Linda Franklin in 1967 and they would later marry on September 6, 1968. He finished his Trades and Industries degree in 1970 and moved to Ft. Defiance, Arizona in 1972. While in Arizona, they would have their first son, Trevor, who was born in 1974.
He was offered the Trades and Industry job in Weatherford In 1979, there they were blessed with a second son, Tyler. In 1981 He started building swimming pools and turned it into a family business during the summers.
Gary and his T&I class built a house every year for close to 25 years.
One year, Gary and his students built all of the cabinets for the new Burcham Elementary. Later classes built the Scout and Rotary Hut in Weatherford and finished work on the building that would become the Heartland of America Museum. After the tornado hit Cordell in 2001, his classes helped by patching windows and roofs in the area. He retired from teaching in 2008 and would later go on to serve on the board of the Western Technology Center from 2013 to 2022.
He maintained his love of OU football and Thunder Basketball. In March of 2000, He and Linda were blessed by twin granddaughters Teagan and Savannah. He loved them more than the world. Everyone who met Gary knew he was special. Whether it was the hard work, or generosity, he rarely said a bad word and was proud of his sons and many nephews and nieces that have gone on to have careers and families of their own. If you worked with him or were just around him, he made lives better. His loss will be felt a long time and his memory will be celebrated for many years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Dorothy Weast and her two daughters, Sharon and Barbara. His sister, Juanita Randolf and her husband Junior and daughter June. His brother James, and his son in law Todd. His father in law Dude Franklin and mother in law Elnor Franklin. He leaves behind wife of 57 years, Linda, son Trevor of Stillwater, son and daughter in law Tyler and Kendra Smith, and granddaughters Teagan and Savannah Smith of Oklahoma city. He is survived by his brother Dewayne, sister in laws Judy, Shirley, Nita, Charlette, Tammie, and their families. Also many nieces, nephews, and cousins.