John "Tony" A. Smith

John A. (Tony) Smith passed away at his home on Friday, July 3rd, 2026.  He was born on November 23rd, 1936, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he continued to live for the entirety of his life.  He was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 40 years, Wanda Deal Smith, his father, John Herman Smith, his mother, Margueritte Smith, his sister, Patricia Kaiser, and his son, Thomas W. Smith.

He is survived by his two sons, John A. Smith, Jr. and J. Timothy Smith (Cristy), three stepdaughters, Brenda Wylie (Baron), Linda Cranford and Melissa Cranford, grandchildren Tyler Smith, Emma Smith, Bradley Jones, Thomas Cunningham and Dakota Wylie, and great-grandchildren Madaxe Cunningham, Juliette Cunningham, Braizlee Philpot, Brixlee Philpot, Brynnan Wylie and Brecken Wylie.

After graduating from Fort Smith High School (Northside), Tony enlisted in the United States Army, where he served in the 101st Airborne Division, specifically as a paratrooper.  After his discharge from the Army, he went to work for Life and Casualty Insurance Company as an insurance salesman, where he worked for 16 years.  After leaving the insurance business, he owned and operated Andy’s Gun and Pawn shop in Fort Smith for the next 30 years.

In addition to enjoying spending time with his family, Tony enjoyed hunting, fishing and collecting antique guns.  He developed a love for hunting at a very early age after receiving his very first shotgun for Christmas at the age of 5.  He enjoyed hunting whatever happened to be in season at the time, but his favorite was duck hunting and quail hunting.  He made many trips to Kansas and Texas to quail hunt, and many trips to Wyoming to hunt elk, deer and antelope.  One disappointment in his life was how the quail and duck populations around the Fort Smith area declined over the years.  For several years he would travel to Obregon, Mexico with his son and other family members and friends for especially memorable duck and dove hunts.

Tony enjoyed collecting a wide variety of antique firearms and western memorabilia.  The walls of his home are adorned with many of the items he collected throughout a period that expanded more than 60 years.  But his true passion was Colt single-action revolvers.  He amassed a very impressive collection through the years and enjoyed traveling with Wanda to gun shows across the United States.  Because he had a knack for working on the Colt’s until they were back to like new condition (even though most were over a hundred and fifty years old), he won numerous “best in show” awards at the gun shows.  Some of his closest friends were fellow Colt collectors, and in 1980 along with a group of five other Colt enthusiasts, Tony helped to form the Colt Collectors Association, which now boasts over 2,000 members.  He served on the organizations board of directors for the first ten years of existence.  He was also a life-time member of the Texas Gun Collectors Association, Ohio Gun Collectors Association and the National Rifle Association.

There will be a visitation on Tuesday, July 14th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Lewis Funeral Chapel located at 4817 Kelly Hwy, Fort Smith, and the funeral service will be on Wednesday, July 15th, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Bethel Lutheran Church, 5400 Euper Lane, Fort Smith, immediately followed by a burial at the Fort Smith National Cemetery, 522 Garland Ave, Fort Smith.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Bethel Lutheran Church, 5400 Euper Lane, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903, in memory of Tony Smith

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