Services Held for David Kent “Butch” Smith

David Kent (Butch) Smith was born May 18, 1951, in Holdenville, Oklahoma, to parents Norb and Nadine Smith. He passed away at his home in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on September 28, 2025.

Butch is survived by his sons, Blake Smith and Nick Smith, Shawnee, Oklahoma, and brother Bobby Smith of Holdenville. He is predeceased by his parents, brother Stanley Devon Brown and Judi Jones Smith, mother of his sons.

Butch grew up in Holdenville, and his athletic abilities were obvious at an early age. When a student at Central Grade School, he was a star at both the Rotary Club’s annual Candy Bowl game and the Kiwanis Club’s Little Olympics.

In High School at H.H.S., Butch was outstanding in both baseball and football. In 1969, as a senior, Butch was all-Conference and Honorable Mention All-State in Football. He was president of the Lettermen’s Club.

As a freshman, Butch was voted Mr. H.H.S. by the student body. He was a Boys State Delegate his junior year, representing Holdenville American Legion Post 32 and sponsored by the local Rotary Club.

After graduation, Butch received a scholarship to play football at East Central State College, Ada, Oklahoma.

As an adult, Butch worked a short time at the Ammunition Depot in McAlester, Oklahoma. But Butch spent most of his adult life working in the Oklahoma oil fields, beginning at the bottom as a roughneck and ending as a superintendent in the high-tech computer age of directional drilling.

Butch Smith was beloved by fellow H.H.S. students, faculty and the Holdenville community. He had many, many friends. But he may most be remembered as that “good-looking” lifeguard who managed the Holdenville swimming pool from 1969-1970’s.

WE MISS YOU! A graveside service at the Holdenville Cemetery, will be at 2:00 p.m., Friday, November 7th. Rev. Cyntha (Harjo) Gilk-Ayres officiating.

If you wish to honor Butch, please donate to the Holdenville Quarterback Club, PO Box 731, Holdenville, OK 74848.