Jordan H. Smith

Jennings

A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. Jordan Hunter Smith, will be held on February 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Jennings, LA, and will be officiated by Reverend Michael Caraway and Reverend Trey Ange. A rosary will be recited at the church at 9:30 a.m. before the mass. Burial is to follow the service and he will be laid to rest in St. Joseph Parish Missionary Cemetery in Soileau, near Oberlin, Louisiana (1093 LA-104), under the direction of Miguez Funeral Home.

On January 27, 2024, Jordan Hunter Smith—beloved husband, father, and friend to so many—left our mortal world to join in the divine. It was an early departure, he spent only 37 years on this earth; however, because of the great positivity and sacrifice he showed to others, especially in the midst of his illness, this time was well spent. He gave a vibrant testimony in facing hardship with courage and strength, in offering up his own sufferings with grace for the sake of his family and those around him. Always, he found time and energy to encourage others in the midst of his own illness, having a profound impact upon all who knew him.

Jordan was born to Kurt and Sherry Rider Smith on January 21, 1987, in Eunice, Louisiana. He grew up in Oberlin, LA, and graduated from Oberlin High School. After graduation, he enrolled at McNeese State University, and there earned his B.S degree and went on to earn an M.A in education.

Jordan began his career at Oberlin High School, coaching the same baseball team he himself had played on. There, he led his players to win the first district championship in the school’s history; the great leadership he displayed on the baseball field was a defining mark of his, on the field and off. After Oberlin, Jordan went on to coach at Jennings High School while simultaneously working towards his M.A.

In 2016, Jordan changed careers, going from coaching baseball into insurance. He soon excelled in this new field; in fact, in a time span of only two years his great talent and dedication allowed him to open his own State Farm agency in Conroe, Texas, where he only continued to succeed. His phenomenal management and leadership skills soon won his agency the great distinction of being in the top 0.5% of State Farm agencies in the United States, earning it a place in the elite President’s Club of State Farm.

In 2020, Jordan was diagnosed with Melanoma. Yet throughout his sickness, he showed the greatest courage and positivity. He inspired his family, he inspired his friends, he inspired countless others in similar situations as himself.

Any man can face good times, but when darkness creeps in, when the light by which one views life begins to lessen and gather gloom, it is these times that test a man’s character. Jordan Smith faced such times, and his character has been proven as strong, positive, and inspirational. He did not submit to his test, he braved it, he braved it well.

Those left behind to cherish his memory are his beloved wife, Grace Caraway Smith; his two sons, Thomas Smith and Jordan Smith, Jr.; his father, Kurt Smith (Kara) of Oberlin, LA; his mother, Sherry Smith of Kinder, LA; his two brothers, Colby Smith (Ashley) of Lake Charles, L.A, and Jerran Johnson of Kinder, LA; his sister, Dana Frechette of Oberlin, LA; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, his many friends and all those he inspired.

Jordan is preceded in death by his grandparents J.C. Smith, Bertha Smith, Bernelle Buller Dunman, and Cecil Carl Rider.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to M.D. Anderson Melanoma Research.