William Smith, Ii

William Early “Wes” Smith II, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Saturday, December 11, 2021.  Funeral services will be 11:30am Monday, December 20, 2021, in The Venue at Pinelake Church, Reservoir Campus with visitation starting at 9:30am until the service. Interment will follow in Parkway Memorial Cemetery in Ridgeland, MS.

Wes was born on June 26, 1981, in Jackson, MS.  He graduated from Northwest Rankin High School followed by Holmes Community College. Wes started his career in restaurant management and was currently employed as a Marketing Representative for Capstone Underwriters of Dallas, TX. Wes married Carrie Beth Spring Smith on July 26, 2014, and together they built a beautiful life over the last 7 years.

"Feels good to watch a big man dance” was one of Wes’s favorite musical quotes from the song Heroes.  And to so many whose paths Wes crossed every day of his life; a hero is precisely what Wes was. Embodying the truest definition of a southern gentleman, his net of love spread far beyond his hometown of Brandon, Mississippi.

Wes’s number one passion was offering unconditional support to his family and friends. The pride he took in making those around him feel better leaving than when they arrived was continuously expressed through his infectious smile and child-like belly laugh.  No one was a stranger to Wes, as he possessed the uncanny ability to draw people near, which was one of his countless endearing qualities.

Combining his love of family and friends with his enthusiasm for music, sports and travel was a source of tremendous joy for Wes. He thrived on being a cheerleader of his favorite teams, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Cubs and the LA Lakers, to name a few.  Most of all though, Wes's truest love was spared for his two young boys and wife Carrie Beth, the absolute light of his life.

The first to offer encouragement to those in need, Wes recently shared the following with a close friend:  "Don't let the large things loom over the small blessings. You will miss some of the greatest gifts."  We can only hope Wes knew just what a great gift he was to each of us. Having the honor of knowing Wes came with the blessing of knowing genuine love and kindness demonstrated to every person he encountered. A best friend to many, Wes never allowed you to say goodbye without telling you how much he loved you. His larger-than-life personality, always living in the moment and loving on others was one of his many, many gifts that made him so incredibly special and treasured by all. The overwhelming loss is felt throughout for so many.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, W.L. and Opal Richardson; paternal grandparents, Robert Smith (Dot) and Mary Lee Parker (Tony).

Wes is survived by his mother, Wanda Richardson Burns and John Baxter Burns II; father, William “Billy” Early Smith; wife, Carrie Beth Spring Smith; children, William “Tripp” Early Smith III and John Hollis Smith; brothers, John Baxter “J.B.” Burns III (Ashton) and Sidney Burns; sisters, Tonya Smith Ables (Dan) and Riley Smith; mother-in-law, Debra Gartman Spring; father-in-law, Hollis Eugene “Gene” Spring; sister-in-law, Gretchen Spring Williamson (Chris); and a host of aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

In Lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Wes’s memory to Positive Legacy at https://www.positivelegacy.com.