Thomas "Mac" Smith
Apr 20, 1936 - Sep 2nd, 2021- Birth Date: Apr 20, 1936
- Death Date: Sep 2, 2021
- Funeral Date: Sep 11, 2021, 11:00 am
- Location: Our Lady of Holy Souls Catholic Church, Little Rock AR
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Biography:
Thomas McVeigh "Mac" Smith of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed peacefully with his family by his side shortly before midnight on September 2, 2021, at 85 years old.
How do you capture one man's extraordinary life in a block of text? It's impossible, but as his children, we'll give it our best. First, our dad was the most empathetic, kind, generous listener, coach, and counselor. We were able to witness the impact he had both on a local and global scale. That's a pretty powerful statement, especially when it's your dad. As his children, we can't remember one request we made that wasn't honored or acknowledged. Our needs were continually met and our voices heard, as were the voices of many that he counseled.
If we start from the beginning, the real Genesis of Mac Smith's life, we've got to start in 1936. What was going on in 1936? Well, FDR was elected to a second term, Pope Pius XI was head of the Catholic Church, and on April 20th Thomas McVeigh "Mac" Smith was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to Hugh Randolph Smith and Frances Louise Mattingly Smith.
Hugh, known by many as "Randolph," was born to George W. Smith and Francis "Fannie" McVeigh, and was a decorated Marine and auditor for the IRS. He was one of seven sons, all of whom remained exceptionally close and lead extraordinary lives. Louise, a heartfelt mother, organist, and notable IRS employee, was born to Thomas William Mattingly Sr., who owned a newspaper in Lebanon, KY, and moved his family to Little Rock to serve as an auditor for the Rt. Rev. Bishop John B. Morris, later becoming Vice President of a local bank, and serving as a business manager and treasurer for the Little Rock Daily News. His wife, Mary Eliza O'Brien Mattingly, had a rich family history and was a loving wife, and kindhearted mother to Louise, her four brothers, and seven sisters.
Mac was preceded in life by his brother Tucker Smith, who unfortunately passed away at a young age. Following Mac, were Herman Joseph "Snick" Smith and Albert "Al" Fletcher Smith. The boys grew up on C Street in the heart of Hillcrest, with our dad recounting Sandlot-like sports rivalries between the A, B, and C Street teams, often playing with the famed baseball player, Brooks Robinson, who grew up in the neighborhood.
During his life, he fundraised with his wife and team to assist those in need as far as the former Yugoslavia. He later founded an orphanage in Matehuala, Mexico, that was eventually turned over to the local Catholic community. They purchased a property across the street from a local prison to better serve the prison population and took groups from Arkansas to care for, clothe, and feed impoverished families. Dad recounted at times, local Arkansans, so moved by the need they observed during these trips, took shoes off their feet and handed them to others. For him, humility was a foundational function, and we know these moments inspired him to continue to do great work.
He loved visiting his daughter, Ashley McVeigh Smith, in New York and in general, as they were incredibly close. There's no real way to capture this in words unless you knew their bond prior to this moment.
He loved his son, Alexander Randolph Smith, who has excelled in both sports and community service, much like himself. Their bond was indescribable and one of his last great memories was to watch his son speak on the Arkansas Capitol steps.
If we start from the beginning, the real Genesis of Mac Smith's life, we've got to start in 1936. What was going on in 1936? Well, FDR was elected to a second term, Pope Pius XI was head of the Catholic Church, and on April 20th Thomas McVeigh "Mac" Smith was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to Hugh Randolph Smith and Frances Louise Mattingly Smith.
Hugh, known by many as "Randolph," was born to George W. Smith and Francis "Fannie" McVeigh, and was a decorated Marine and auditor for the IRS. He was one of seven sons, all of whom remained exceptionally close and lead extraordinary lives. Louise, a heartfelt mother, organist, and notable IRS employee, was born to Thomas William Mattingly Sr., who owned a newspaper in Lebanon, KY, and moved his family to Little Rock to serve as an auditor for the Rt. Rev. Bishop John B. Morris, later becoming Vice President of a local bank, and serving as a business manager and treasurer for the Little Rock Daily News. His wife, Mary Eliza O'Brien Mattingly, had a rich family history and was a loving wife, and kindhearted mother to Louise, her four brothers, and seven sisters.
Mac was preceded in life by his brother Tucker Smith, who unfortunately passed away at a young age. Following Mac, were Herman Joseph "Snick" Smith and Albert "Al" Fletcher Smith. The boys grew up on C Street in the heart of Hillcrest, with our dad recounting Sandlot-like sports rivalries between the A, B, and C Street teams, often playing with the famed baseball player, Brooks Robinson, who grew up in the neighborhood.
Dad's sports career wasn't too far off though, as he attended Our Lady of the Holy Souls and Catholic High School for Boys, eventually being named a two-time All-American, meriting college scholarships in both basketball and football. Bear Bryant flew into Little Rock to meet with dad to ask him to play for Alabama, but he ultimately chose to serve as a quarterback at LSU after meeting with the head coach, Paul Dietzel. He later moved to USL and was drafted by the Chicago Bears, where he played two exhibition games before deciding to give up sports to become a Catholic priest.
He was ordained in Little Rock in 1964, following a longstanding, family history that upheld Catholicism in Arkansas, including his paternal uncle who was a Monsignor, his five maternal aunts who served as Sisters, and his first cousin, Fr. Thomas W. Keller, who is a retired priest. During this time he served as Pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he worked diligently to mitigate corruption in the gambling industry. His life was continually at risk as he fought for those who needed his assistance. He also went to serve as Associate Director of Catholic Social Services under the Diocese of Little Rock, and joined his alma mater, Catholic High, as a faculty member, later teaching as an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at UALR.
He was ordained in Little Rock in 1964, following a longstanding, family history that upheld Catholicism in Arkansas, including his paternal uncle who was a Monsignor, his five maternal aunts who served as Sisters, and his first cousin, Fr. Thomas W. Keller, who is a retired priest. During this time he served as Pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he worked diligently to mitigate corruption in the gambling industry. His life was continually at risk as he fought for those who needed his assistance. He also went to serve as Associate Director of Catholic Social Services under the Diocese of Little Rock, and joined his alma mater, Catholic High, as a faculty member, later teaching as an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at UALR.
Following his years as a priest, dad chose to become liaised and married. He found his calling as a psychologist. Dad had a strong education consisting of a Master of Arts Degree in Theology and Master in Psychology and attended St. Louis University and American University in Washington D.C. to continue to elevate his education and earn advanced accreditations. He also attended Harvard Graduate School, where he studied the dynamics of human anger with a focus on domestic violence through a grant provided by the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas and Levi-Strauss.
From 1979 - 1981, he worked as Executive Director for Contact, an international ecumenical telephone ministry, and a suicide hotline prevention center. He also served as Executive Director for the Office of Economic Opportunity in Little Rock, Arkansas for six years. During this time, he was responsible for all anti-poverty programs throughout Pulaski County.
Later he founded the Christian Counseling Center, where he offered counseling services regardless of income. He went on to found Batterers Anonymous in Arkansas to end domestic violence, working with local and state police. Across his career, if we could tell you how many times people have come to us to tell us dad saved their life, we couldn't count.
Throughout this time, he maintained practices in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, often traveling to go where he was needed. Louisiana was a special place in dad's heart, his father was from there, he played football there, he loved the people of Louisiana, including his prayer group and one special couple who cared for dad. He had heartfelt, deep friendships with many across the state.
During his life, he fundraised with his wife and team to assist those in need as far as the former Yugoslavia. He later founded an orphanage in Matehuala, Mexico, that was eventually turned over to the local Catholic community. They purchased a property across the street from a local prison to better serve the prison population and took groups from Arkansas to care for, clothe, and feed impoverished families. Dad recounted at times, local Arkansans, so moved by the need they observed during these trips, took shoes off their feet and handed them to others. For him, humility was a foundational function, and we know these moments inspired him to continue to do great work.
Years later he took that same fervor to build faith-filled communities in Miami, Colombia, and Venezuela, where he spent many years praying with and assisting disenfranchised communities. Venezuela will forever be in our father's heart, as he witnessed the many challenges the country has faced, and at times risked his own safety to help others, alongside a very trusted friend. Dad would continue to ask for prayers for not only the world but most certainly for Venezuela, as he would say we cannot ignore the injustice taking place in the country.
Things he loved outside of daily service - handing his dear grandson candy bars, laughing with him, and as a family, we enjoyed watching dad's pure delight when he was born. Tipton McVeigh Smith inherited dad's middle name, a way to preserve dad's grandmother's maiden name throughout history. Tipton loved his "Pepaw" and dad adored him as if he had hung the moon, which according to dad he might as well have. Their bond was incredibly profound.
He loved his daughter-in-law, Norma Aranda Smith, who he saw as a daughter. They exchanged jokes a lot and no one made a better meatloaf or Shepard's Pie than Norma. The term "incredible woman" was how dad referenced his daughter-in-law, and our entire family agrees. Norma was working with dad on a book to capture his greatest moments and one question was, "What was the best gift you ever received?" His response was candid. He said "I guess life. I almost died five times. My heart stopped beating in 2014, but God brought me back. I had multiple heart failures and it took five people to carry me into the hospital! I ended up with a pacemaker, which works fine." Pointed and gracious - the essence of dad, who saw his greatest gift as the gift of life.
He loved visiting his daughter, Ashley McVeigh Smith, in New York and in general, as they were incredibly close. There's no real way to capture this in words unless you knew their bond prior to this moment.
He loved his son, Alexander Randolph Smith, who has excelled in both sports and community service, much like himself. Their bond was indescribable and one of his last great memories was to watch his son speak on the Arkansas Capitol steps.
All of us would describe dad as our best friend, our confidant, our rock. Such a life is never a footnote, but a giant asterisk, leading those who need to see, guiding those who need to hear, wake up, and pay attention. Dad's life was epic - that much we know, but the humility he embraced is a lesson for us all.
Survivors include daughter Ashley McVeigh Smith, son Alexander Randolph Smith, daughter-in-law Norma Aranda Smith, grandson Tipton McVeigh Smith, brother Albert "Al" Fletcher Smith, sister-in-law Lamar Smith, nephew Albert "Fletcher" Smith Jr., niece Samantha Smith Crews, and cousin Fr. Thomas W. Keller.
Rosary will be held at Ruebel Funeral Home at 6 pm on Friday, September 10th, 2021, followed by visitation until 8 pm.
Funeral service will take place at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church at 11 am on Saturday, September 11th, 2021, followed by a burial at Calvary Cemetery.
Our family is in the process of developing a foundation in honor of our father, which will focus on annual missions that were close to our father's heart. If you know of a mission that would be meaningful to our father or have a story to share about him, please email: thomasmsmithfoundation@gmail.com.
Our family is in the process of developing a foundation in honor of our father, which will focus on annual missions that were close to our father's heart. If you know of a mission that would be meaningful to our father or have a story to share about him, please email: thomasmsmithfoundation@gmail.com.
Arrangements under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com.
Condolences(03)
Addison Beckman
#3
Apr 19th, 2023 5:26 pm
God bless you
Consuelo Abenoja
#2
Apr 17th, 2022 7:05 pm
Just today, my friend from CA related to me the beautiful
life journey of your, Dad, Thomas ‘ Mac’Smith.
I started searching for his name and it brought me to this page
sadly.His accomplishments in life are remarkable and surely
left an indelible mark on peoples’ lives he has come in contact
with.I am sorry to hear that he passed on, and my deepest sympathy.I would have been a grateful recipient of his needed kindness and good mentoring, had I known him in person.
It would not be a surprise if JESUS welcomes him with
open arms, and utter the words ‘Well done good and
faithful child’.
You were all blessed to have him as Your,Father,
As he was always a load of blessings to other people.
I heard he wrote a book ‘Armada of the Precious Blood’.
Any suggestion where to obtain it?
Now,I can pray for him and to him.
Again, my sympathy for your loss.I will keep your family
in my prayers.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Consuelo Abenoja
Staten Island, NY
life journey of your, Dad, Thomas ‘ Mac’Smith.
I started searching for his name and it brought me to this page
sadly.His accomplishments in life are remarkable and surely
left an indelible mark on peoples’ lives he has come in contact
with.I am sorry to hear that he passed on, and my deepest sympathy.I would have been a grateful recipient of his needed kindness and good mentoring, had I known him in person.
It would not be a surprise if JESUS welcomes him with
open arms, and utter the words ‘Well done good and
faithful child’.
You were all blessed to have him as Your,Father,
As he was always a load of blessings to other people.
I heard he wrote a book ‘Armada of the Precious Blood’.
Any suggestion where to obtain it?
Now,I can pray for him and to him.
Again, my sympathy for your loss.I will keep your family
in my prayers.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Consuelo Abenoja
Staten Island, NY
Gloria Stough Moody
#1
Sep 8th, 2021 7:05 am
Your father was a lifesaver for me in the 8o’s. Through his Christian counseling service in North Little Rock he not only helped me but several of my friends. He was a wonderful inspiring person. He helped turn my life around. I praise God for him and I am sorry to hear of your loss. I am leaving tomorrow for Charleston SC an will not be able to attend but please know you all are in my prayers. God bless you all.