Leverett Tyrrell Smith - "Terry" Jr. - “Terry”
September 24, 1938 ~ March 6, 2025
Resided in: Rocky Mount, North Carolina
ROCKY MOUNT – Leverett Tyrrell Smith, Jr. – “Terry”, age 86, passed away on Thursday, March 6, 2025. Born in Westchester County, NY on September 24, 1938, he was the son of the late Leverett Tyrrell Smith, Sr. and Eleanor Hoyt Smith.
Terry lived a life with a love for books and music, teaching and most of all love for his family. He was an avid reader and would read six books at a time. In his teaching he wanted to instill a love for reading to all of his students. Most every wall in the Smith house had book shelves full of books. The house was often filled with music mostly of various styles of jazz and the blues. He loved baseball, soccer, and basketball. His favorite teams were the Atlanta Braves, the Arsenal Football Club and the Duke basketball team. The latter was kept from his family for many years. Terry was a teacher in his classes and in his life. His dry sense of humor was sometimes lost on some people, but his kindness was not. His children thought he was the nicest man in the world and his wife knew it.
Terry is survived by his wife of 65 years, Janette J. Smith: his daughter, Jessica Smith Ellis, and husband Keith, of Rocky Mount; his sons, Leverett Tyrrell Smith, III – ”Rab”, and wife Jennifer, of Raleigh, NC, and Harry Smith, and wife Alyssa Cho, of Rancho Cordova, CA; his grandchildren, Margaret E. McLaughlin, and husband Jed, Leverett Tyrrell Smith IV – “Ty”, Justin Ellis, and wife Laura Perry, Jonathan Ellis, Amelia Smith, and Eleanor Smith.
A celebration of life service will be held at a later date.
Arrangements entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 661 English Road, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. You may share memories and condolences with the family by visiting www.johnsonfuneralsandcremations.com.
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Jessie you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. God will give each of you the strength and comfort that you will need.
Dr. Smith was one of my favorite professors. A group of us delighted in his unique wit and love of teaching and always reminisced about him when we saw each other. He hired me to type his notes as he was writing his The American Dream and the National Game and was instrumental in my getting my first teaching job. That was decades ago. I regret not seeing him in the past few years. So many of us were indeed blessed to have this wonderful man in our lives. May God go with you as you begin your years of missing him. Debra W. Kincheloe
I knew Terry from all his work on behalf of the Society for American Baseball Research. I can easily see why he was both an excellent teacher and beloved family man. He conveyed a joyful spirit to be found in work that allows for play. I will always cherish his friendship.
Dr. Smith brought his quick wit and dry, wry sense of humor to my English Literature degree. He introduced me to one of my favorite books of all time “One Man’s Meat” by E.B. White ( a collection of his essays). One of his gentle admonishment from him still rests with me to this day; a heartache to hear then, and a treasure of loving discipline to me now . I had written an assignment that I’m sure was technically correct but he asked a simple question about my tone and perspective on the subject matter. He didn’t berate me or scold me. His gentle question on tone was the invitation to quietly judge my own motive. He served as a kind mirror that revealed my heart and pierced it with the ache of knowing I had woven a bit of arrogance (even in my inexperienced ignorance of life) into my piece. I’m grateful to have had more than just a professor of knowledge, as Dr. Smith was a teacher of how a father’s heart to the next generation demonstrates kindness as a catalyst to lasting change. He made a mark on hearts. And on a lighter side, if I ever got that wry side smile, I knew I was winning for the day. I am sorry to just now be learning of his passing.