Kenneth Smith
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Kenneth Smith, 98, of Harrisburg, passed away at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, 2011, at Saline Care Center.
He was born Nov. 4, 1912, in Pankeyville to the late Charles M. and Della (Taylor) Smith. Kenneth attended Dorrisville Grade School and was a 1930 graduate of Harrisburg Township High School. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service from 1933 to 1956 when he was transferred to the Harrisburg Social Security Office. He worked there for 24 years before retiring. Kenneth served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946. On Feb. 9, 1935, he married Ruby Shewmaker and she preceded him on Jan. 26, 1986. He then married Louise LaBaw in 1987 and she preceded him in 1994. He then married Gaynelle (Alexander) Wygal on Jan. 6, 1996, and she also preceded him on July 23, 2009.
Kenneth was an active deacon of McKinley Ave. Baptist Church for more than 60 years, where he served in various capacities in the church including chairman of the building committee for the present church building, Sunday School Superintendent, church training director and church treasurer for many years. He was also a member of Harrisburg American Legion Post No. 167, VFW Post No. 2878 and a Kentucky Colonel since the early 1990s. Kenneth and Gaynelle were active in senior citizens organizations. They were on the committee to get the nutritional program started in Saline County, and were instrumental in obtaining the buildings for the Golden Circle Senior Citizens, first at the First Baptist Church dining room and then at the former Mac's Goodyear and later the old Forestry Building at its present location on Commercial Street.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 22, 2011, at McKinley Avenue Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Lindale Cemetery in Eldorado with military rites by the Harrisburg American Legion and the VFW. Visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday at McKinley Avenue Baptist Church. For those who wish, donations may be made to McKinley Avenue Baptist Church or the First Church of God and envelopes will be available at the church. Condolences may be sent to the family through the obituary page of the Internet site www.reedfuneralchapel.com. Reed Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.