Joe Elton Smith

Joe Elton Smith

NOVEMBER 25, 1939 – JULY 29, 2021

Joe Elton Smith, 81, of Stafford, Texas, went to be with his Lord and Savior on July 29, 2021. He was born in Huntington, Texas on November 25, 1939, and graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas in 1958. Upon graduation, he entered the United State Marine Corps and proudly served his country from 1958 to 1962. Joe married Odell Wheelus on August 15, 1964. 

A testament to true love, he and Odell were married for 56 years and raised two sons, Troy and Phillip. He joined Highlands Insurance Company in 1968 in the Casualty Underwriting Department and held various positions while employed there for 26 years. He retired as Senior Vice President of Casualty Underwriting in April 1995. First and foremost, Joe was a family man. He treasured his time with family, and he made sure that they were together often. Family dinners at the table were commonplace, and most weekends had a day set aside for everyone to get together. 

Even though he had a busy schedule during the week, he was always there at his son’s practices, games and school events offering support and encouragement. He loved holiday gatherings and birthday parties where he could spend time visiting with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had many interests and passions in life, but one of his most considerable passions was cars and motorcycles. More specifically, fast cars and motorcycles. He had various Corvettes in his life, his most recent being his prized 1996 LT4 Collector Edition. 

Whether it was short trip to church on Sunday, a weekend trip to the Hill Country, a month-long trip through Canada and Alaska, or a spirited drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, one of his greatest pleasures in life was driving his Corvette with Odell by his side. He and Odell had also traveled extensively on his BMW K1100 motorcycle. Together, riding “two up,” they rode throughout the country reaching such destinations as the Grand Canyon, Big Bend, New Mexico, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. He was also an outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and hunting and he passed that tradition down to his sons. He proudly taught his boys fishing and hunting conservation, and he instilled in them both a love and respect for the great outdoors. He lived a full life and was loved by all those knew him. We will forever treasure his memory within our hearts.

Joe was preceded in death by his father, Louie Smith, his mother Nora, and his sister Bennie Lou Tobias. He is survived by his wife, Odell, sons Troy and wife Janet, Phillip and wife Lynn and grandchildren Stephanie Sterner and husband Sebastian, Kristina Howe, Jacob Ortiz, Nathan Ortiz, and Aidan Nguyen, and great-grandchildren Gabriella Velasquez, Christian Lazo, Melody Howe, Olivia Lazo, E.J. Sterner, and Joshua Sterner, and brother Charles Smith, sisters Phyllis Costner and Mona Bailey, and sister-in-law Charlene Johnson and husband Kevin, and many nieces and nephews.

Our family wishes to express our appreciation to the Memorial Hermann Medical Center Stroke Unit and Accredited Hospices of America for their care and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Joe’s memory can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation. Parkinson's Foundation | Better Lives. Together.