Funeral services for Drennen Michael “Mike” Smith of Summit are 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, at Hartman-Sharkey Funeral Home in McComb, with burial in the Union Church Cemetery in Jefferson County. Brother Webb Armstrong and Bro. Don Allen will officiate. Hartman-Sharkey Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation is Thursday from 5 until 8 p.m at the funeral home and Friday from 10 until 11 a.m.

Mr. Smith, 73, of Summit, a former Pike County Circuit Court Judge, died Jan. 1, 2014, at Franklin County Hospital in Meadville.

He had a long career as a private attorney, Pike County Board of Supervisors attorney and judge. Smith was born July 4, 1940, in Birmingham, Ala., and lived in various parts of the South – Greensburg, N.C., New Roads, La., Paulding, Miss., and, before graduating from high school, in Akron, Ala.

He received a degree in business administration from Auburn University and went into the Navy in an ROTC program. When he got out in 1963, he worked as an insurance claims adjuster in Atlanta, Birmingham, Orlando, Fla., and Jackson.

At age 26 Smith enrolled in night classes at Jackson School of Law (now Mississippi College School of Law). He received his law degree in 1969 at the age of 29, passed the bar in 1970 and moved to McComb in 1971 to work as an insurance attorney with Wayne Sterling.

He served as circuit judge from 1995 until he retired from the bench in 2006. He served along with Keith Starrett in the 14th District Circuit Court’s first dual judgeship. Prior to then, the district had just one judge. Smith also loved to hunt. He was a fervent quail hunter until the bird populations plummeted. He also enjoyed deer hunting. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Summit, a Mason, Shriner and lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Preceding him in death were his parents, Drennen Raymond and Katherine Szabo Smith and his sister Ann Rye.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Lloyd Dean Osborne Smith; his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew S. and Arlena Kelly Smith of Summit; his daughter and son-in-law, Angela Smith Gore and Dr. Steven Marshall Gore of Waynesville, N.C.; his brother, Father Patrick R. Smith of Madison; and six grandchildren he loved dearly, Abbey Lee Smith, Jesse Micah Smith, Anna Marie Gore, Andrew Marshall Gore, Julia Katherine Gore and Christina Claire Gore.

Pallbearers will be Troy Travis, Adam Purser, G. Dale Smith, Herman Osborne, Bill Arnold, Jeff Butler and Jed Stewart. Honorary pallbearers will be Doug Touchstone, Joe Young, Derrell Stewart, Oliver Young, Ken Estes, Dr. Andy Watson and Norman Price.

The family requests memorials be sent to First Baptist Church, Summit, or a charity of your choice.

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