Joseph Smith

Monday, January 3, 1966 - Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Joseph Darrel Smith, Born January 3, 1966 in Dothan, AL to James Jerry Smith and Carolyn Faye Smith. Died October 6, 2021 after a long battle with Covid-19.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 in the chapel of Sorrells Funeral in Slocomb with Rev. Ricky Hall officiating.  The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to service time. 

 Darrell was a rascal in his youth always seeking out fun even if it meant trouble came soon after. He always had a joke or humorous story ready for any occasion. Darrell loved music, hard rock and classic rock were his go-to. He loved films and TV shows, and once had a DVD collection so large he could have opened his own video rental shop. Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy were among his all-time favorite movies. Darrell loved the outdoors, especially riding through it on a Jeep and capturing its beauty with his camera. The pictures he took are all gifts left for us to remember him by.

 Darrell wore many hats throughout his life as a dispatcher for Covan, manager at Penny Profit Cleaners, oil rig roughneck, M1 Abrams crewman, Humvee crewman, police officer, and more. Darrell was proud of his service as a soldier and policeman. While with the Alabama National Guard he worked to provide disaster relief following floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Following 9/11 he was called on to assist with security on Fort Rucker. Darrell found his true calling as a police officer, stopping only to serve with the US Army on a tour of Iraq in 2007. After his return, he devoted himself to being a policeman and rose to the rank of assistant chief of Samson, AL. Darrell was always one to help others, whether or not he was in uniform. He helped raise money for charity, assisted with food and toy drives, often donated himself to organizations, families, and individuals in need, and worked to instill the same drive for helping others in his children.

Darrell is preceded in death by his father Jerry Smith and grandparents Cletus “Clete” White and Myrl (Jason “Mayo”) Peterson, Bertie and Cecil Smith. Darrell is survived by his children Chelsea and Hunter Smith, his mother Faye Smith, brother James Derek Smith; aunt Brenda Tate (Joe), first cousin Felicia Tharp (Jeff) and her children Danielle Schrimsher and Jessica Ezell; first cousin Stephanie Clayton (Kim) and her children Stacy Morrissette and Taylor Patton; uncle Jimmy Smith and his children Kelly and Mary-Helen.