Funeral services will be held 10:00 am Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at the Victory Assembly of God Church, 601 Old Highway 71, Adrian, Missouri 64720. Burial will follow in Burdett Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warriors. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.
Daniel was born in Missouri on December 21, 1949 and spent his childhood loving all things outdoors. He always had some kind of wildlife around, he raised a baby hawk and baby raccoons. He graduated from Raytown High School and at the age of 18 he left home and joined the U.S. Marines Corp. which brought him to serve in The Vietnam War. This is something he was always proud of; Semper Fi. This is where his love for airplanes began. He was released from the Marines after 5 years of service. He then married Linda Zawacki and spent 24 years of his life with her. They had three children Joshua Caleb Smith, Jessica Lea Davis and Hannah Nicole Brown. Some of their fondest memories included spending time at the lake camping, tubing and skiing with family and friends. Parasailing behind his jet boat with his well-known American flag parasail was always the highlight of the summer. He always knew how to have a good time and was always planning his next adventure.
Throughout the years he came to take over the family business, Lee’s Summit Block which he ran up until the day he passed. He also had a machine shop and taught himself how to build race car engines and was very well known around the racing community. Yet another hobby that fed his many passions. He eventually sold the machine shop and decided to pursue another interest that turned into yet another passion. He bought a sailboat and taught himself to sail at Stockton Lake. This new passion, led him to buy a Catamaran Sailboat and for six years sailed for 4 months out of the year with his currant wife Sandra and grandson Silas around the gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys and the Caribbean.
In 2010 Daniel met his current wife Sandra and they married on April 12, 2014. When he asked her to marry him, he told her that their life together would be a grand adventure and that she would never be bored. He did not disappoint. In 2013 his grandson Silas Smith came into their lives and in April of 2016 they were they were able to adopt Silas and became an instant little family. Silas was his world and he loved him fiercely. They were two peas in a pod and sometimes it was hard to tell who was the adult. They were buddies, partners in crime, and they did everything together. With confidence we feel these were some of the happiest years of his life. His love for Silas had no end. He spent his days fishing, riding 4-wheelers and teaching Silas all things boy.
72 years, this amazing man lived life passionately, to the ultimate fullness and loved every second of it. His love for our Savior ran deep and he had no doubts who his Creator was. We have no doubt that when he took off from his small backyard runway on Sunday afternoon, that he just kept flying straight into heaven.
He is survived by his wife Sandra Smith and grandson, Silas Smith of the home; daughters, Jessica Davis and Hannah and (Daniel) Brown; son Joshua Smith; Step children, Nicole Rogers, Kristine Arnold, Joseph Arnold (Emily);grandchildren Kathleen (Luciano) Combs, Jonas Davis, Danica Hunt, Wyatt Brown, Luke Brown; and great grandson Deklyn; step grandchildren Alexander Arnold, Eli Arnold and Amia Arnold; and one sister Julie Henderson; He is preceded in death by his parents Edwin Minor Smith Jr and Shirley Nadine Foley.
