Haskell Albert "Hal" Smith

Haskell Albert "Hal" Smith of Conway. After several years of battling numerous afflictions, Hal Smith died early on Thursday morning, December 5, 2013 at St. Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock. His death followed approximately a month of hospitalization, and this bout proved too much for him to overcome. However, his final time on this earth was eased by the care he received. The loving attention of his son, Barrett, was particularly comforting during his last few lucid periods. Hal was born May 19, 1955 and raised in North Little Rock. He graduated from Northeast High School in 1973. For several years, he had been interested in automobile repair, gaining experience in fixing cars by working summers at a service station. Upon graduation, he entered the field he would occupy the rest of his life. He worked for various auto repair venues, continuing to soak up knowledge and improve his skills. In 1979, he opened his own auto repair business, Hal Smith's Garage, in North Little Rock. By dint of his hard work and dedication, Hal developed into an expert auto mechanic. Tough cases were referred to him by other mechanics, and his reputation garnered customers from as far away as Memphis and Texarkana. Hal was known to his family and friends as hard-working, honest, caring, and loyal. If a friend or family member needed help, and Hal could give it – he was there. Hal found and rescued many dogs and cats; the count was lost some time ago. On the rare occasions, when he took time to get away from his business, he enjoyed hunting and fishing trips with his friends. The success of these trips wasn't measured in the number of fish caught or the amount of venison brought home, but rather in the time spent experiencing God's natural world and in the camaraderie of his friends (and the stories of the trips that later got told and retold). In the Ten Commandments, God issued the dictum to "Honor thy father and thy mother." Hal lived out this commandment to the maximum. Though it was not always beneficial to him, Hal always helped them as best he could. This sometimes involved car repair (no family member was allowed to drive a car with a problem), home repair or maintenance, or assigning himself or one of his employees to transport them somewhere. Until Alzheimer's disease struck his father and death took his mother, both his parents were fixtures at his shop. By providing them this opportunity, Hal greatly enhanced their quality of life in their later years. Hal was preceded in death by his father and mother, Dr. Huie Smith and Adeline Smith, and by his wife, Jeannie. He is survived by his son, Barrett, of Conway; his daughter, Summer, and granddaughter, Mia, of North Little Rock; and his brother, Luther, of Raleigh, N.C. He will be always remembered and missed by all. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m. at Harlan Park Baptist Church, 1895 Dave Ward Drive, Conway. Arrangements are by Griffin-Leggett Funeral Home of Conway. Online guestbook: www.griffinleggettconway.com.