Smith, James "Don"
May 24, 1944 –
November 21, 2015
Obituary
“Big Daddy” Papa Don Dad Don Smith James Donald Smith
James Donald “Don” Smith, age 71, passed away on November 21, 2015 at 4pm in Plano Texas. He was born on May 24, 1944 in Dallas TX to John W. and Bessie Smith. Don grew up in Dallas, TX. He graduated from North Dallas High School in 1962. After high school he attended North Texas State University in Denton, Texas where he received a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1967. During his long and gratifying career he worked in the retail grocery and beverage business for Fed Mart, Affiliated Foods and Ben E Keith Beverages since March 1995 in National Accounts as a Retail Chain Manager. Don married Judy Adams in 1965 in Dallas Texas. They were happily married for many years. He made many lifelong friends during his career, many of whom he has called a friend for decades. Don enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his Grandkids, as well as going to sporting events with his three boys. He also received numerous awards during his career for excellence and professional performance. “Big Daddy” (Don) is survived by his sons, Mike (and wife Shannon) of Highland Village, TX, Greg from Allen, TX and Chad from Frisco, TX; his brother Charles Smith of Dallas, TX; his grandchildren Courtney, Kayli, Cara, Rylie, Kyle, Savannah and Kinley Smith. He also stayed close to the Mother of his children, Judy Adams-Smith. Don was preceded in death by his parents John and Bessie Smith. A memorial celebration of Don’s life will be held at Cowboys Golf Club, 1600 Fairway Dr, Grapevine, TX 76051 at 4pm on Tuesday, December 1st 2015. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to The American Diabetes Association. Condolences may be left on Don Smith’s Caring Bridge online guest book at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/donsmith2 . Arrangements are under the direction of: ARIA Cremation Service & Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700Testimonials
R. Driver
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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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I always enjoyed working with Don, really a nice and sincere man, I’m sorry for your loss and he will be missed.