A memorial service for Carroll Purvis Smith, of Houston, Texas,was held on Saturday, April 24, at 1 p.m., with a precedingvisitation at noon at Macedonia Baptist Church in Brookhaven.

A second memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, April 25, at 1p.m., at Lakelawn Cemetery All Saints Mausoleum in New Orleans,La., where he will be interred. Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Homein Houston is in charge of arrangements.

Carroll Purvis Smith passed away on Friday, April 16, 2010, at age63 after a long and courageous battle with heart disease andcomplications from several strokes suffered since 2000.

Carroll was born to John B. Smith and Wessie Catherine Smith onJuly 7, 1946, in Brookhaven, where he and seven siblings grew up.He attended Loyd Star High School and Copiah-Lincoln JuniorCollege. He was a member of the 1963 Loyd Star State ChampionshipBasketball team.

He was a career oil field sales and service provider specializingin rental equipment, tools and testing services. He worked the oilfields in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah andWyoming.

Carroll was an avid sports fan who loved watching football,basketball and baseball, and spent many afternoons occupying hisfavorite place known as Carroll’s Corner to watch or listen to thebroadcast of a game, but was even fonder of attending in person. Hefavored fishing and golf for his leisure time and had many storiesto tell anyone who would listen. He served in the Army NationalGuard. Carroll will be missed, but not forgotten.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his brothers, Larryand Charles Smith, both of Brookhaven.

He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Candis Loreen Smith; adaughter Shanna Lynette Stout and her spouse, Alan Kirk Stout; ason, Chad Carroll Smith, of Houston, Texas; a stepson, Brandon DaleRush, of New York; and five grandchildren, Caroline ElizabethStout, Evan Ross Stout, Catherine Anne Stout, Madeline Grace Stoutand Carli Rose Smith, all of Houston. He is also survived by hissiblings John B. Smith, Veta Covington and Bonita Bullock, ofBrookhaven, Mike Smith, of College Station, Texas, and ValerieHill, of Baton Rouge, La.