James Leslie Smith was born on November 4, 1933 to Leslie Smith and Elizabeth Taylor Smith. He passed into the loving arms of his Lord and Savior at the age of 82 on October 31, 2016. James attended school in Durant, Oklahoma. In elementary school he knew Rue McClanahan of the TV Show The Golden Girls. He graduated from Durant High School in 1952. While at DHS, he did high jumping and won in regional competition and went to Oklahoma State Competition. He was a catcher and bat boy in a semi-pro baseball team and worked up to star level in boy scouts. He attended Fairview Baptist Church with his family. After graduation, he and a friend went on a boat down the Red River. James served in the Army from 1954-56 and was in Germany and Austria in post Korean war. He received numerous trophies in sports while there. James attended Southwestern State. While in college, he also served as a pastor at First Baptist Church in Achile, Oklahoma, was a member of the Baptist Student Union, and held a tent revival in the summer. He and Ann Wilson started dating when he asked her to make a banner to hang in the main street in Durant. They were partners in BSU Table Tennis tournaments and won the doubles. He had fun in roller skating and loved dancing on the skates. He and Ann were married on December 19th, 1960 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Ardmore, Oklahoma. While at Achile Baptist Church, he was ordained by the Southern Baptist Convention on August 20, 1961. James felt led to major in Music and they moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma where he attended Oklahoma Baptist University. There he sang in a choir under the direction of Dean Warren Angell. While at OBU, he was the music director of Trinity Baptist Church, and earned a scholarship from J.C. Potter. They moved to Dallas and were members of the Berean Christian International from 1966-1973. James graduated from Bible School and was a choir director. He also served as a cub scout leader. James began writing songs. He wrote his first entitled Around the World for Jesus. It was published and recorded, then taken to Mexico and India by graduates. They had a chance to sing it to Pat Boone and his crew making the movie Cross and the Switchblade on the streets of New York City. After that, James began writing gospel songs, eventually 20 with 5 being published. James had worked at his brother Cecils supermarket Green Spray and learned meat-cutting. He later worked at Winn-Dixie 16 years and Tom Thumb 7 years. He won several Presidents Awards and was published as the Singing Cowboy in a national article. They moved to Irving in 1977, establishing Irving Meat Center, became members of Calvary Temple, and began leading music in the Love Connection Sunday School Class where he led for 38 years with Dennis and Sue Brewer. James was preceded in death by his parents, Leslie and Elizabeth, brothers Cecil Smith, J.R. Smith, sisters Kathleen Gullo, Margaret Hall, Annie Mae Syler, and Jerolene Smith. Loved ones to cherish his memories are his wife Ann, two sons, Stephen Smith, Nathan and wife Christine Smith, and three grandchildren, Rachel, Annelise, and Noah Smith. Funeral services were held on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at Calvary Church. J. Don George officiated. James is buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.