jerry lee smitherman

BULLARD — December 31, 1951--October 19,2021
The man. The entertainer. The legend.
Jerry Smitherman was born on the last day of 1951 to James and Estelle Smitherman. He was born on a naval base in Rantoul, Illinois. Jerry has five siblings. Jack, Joan, Janet and Jean share memories of childhood and family. James, Estelle, and sister Jimmie proceeded him in death.
Jerry’s military service as Naval Intelligence spanned many years. He served in Japan, Korea, Washington D.C and the Pentagon.
He was a lifelong teacher and student. He served as administration and as a teacher at several Christian schools. He was a Production Artist at the Dallas morning news for many years. As an ordained minister, Jerry officiated many weddings. He had a soft heart for pets and rescued many through the years.
Jerry’s stage name was Kit Scott. He was an entertainer, a storyteller, a gospel singer, puppeteer, and impersonator. He was Fast Freddie on Harvey’s Festival of Fear. The requests that he received for entertainment were endless. He was the most requested emcee ever because of his talent and ability to engage all audiences. He entertained at festivals, gospel events and brought joy to nursing homes all over Texas. His love for hats and Hawaiian shirts is known to all who knew Kit.
Twenty-one years ago, Jerry and Penny married and decided to make East Texas their home. They have 5 sons, 10 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. His furry best friend Gussie loved Jerry, grieved for him and passed over the Rainbow Bridge to be with him. Every day brought a new adventure. Jerry loved his neighbors, the members of the Sunrise Prayer Breakfast and Flint Baptist Prayer group. He was a member of Flint Baptist Church.
On October 19, 2021, Jerry left this earthly home for his eternal home and Kit left the earthly stages for an everlasting encore. He provided enough memories to last many lifetimes for his family and friends.
Please join us for A Celebration of Life for Jerry/Kit on October 29, 2021, at 2pm at the Holiday Inn Tyler Conference Center 5701 South Broadway, Tyler TX.