Roll Call Tribute

Jimmy Lee Smith 

July 14, 1938 - June 23, 2023 

Jimmy Lee Smith received orders to HEAVEN on June 23, 2023. He was 84 years old and the son of Clarence and Maxine Rogers Smith. Jim was born in El Paso TX on July 14, 1938 and almost reached his 85th birthday.

His early years were in Pecos TX which he considered his hometown. But during his high school years he lived in Odessa and graduated from Odessa High School. There he developed a keen interest in the game of football.

He attended two years of university at Texas A&M in College Station and followed A&M football forever. Here he received the necessary education to qualify for Flight School in Pensacola FL, and entered the United States Navy in Grand Prairie TX in 1958.

His first orders as a Navy Pilot were to North Island CA where he flew the P5M, a Navy Seaplane, AND where he met and married Daraliene Dopp - the mother of his children. His older son Bradford Lee was born in CA.

The next orders were to VP-40, a patrol squadron based at Sangley Point Naval Station in the Philippine Islands. It was in Cavite City where Jim and Daraliene met and became lifelong friends with Carolyn Swaim.

Jim wanted a career with more "home time"; so he returned to civilian life and briefly taught school in El Paso. When he was offered the opportunity to join the United States Border Patrol he couldn't resist. He was in the 85th Class in January 1966. His first duty station was in El Centro, CA, but this die hard Texan wanted to go back to Texas. So with some maneuvering he received orders to - of all places - his hometown of Pecos TX. While living in Pecos, his younger son, Stacy Lee was born in 1973.

He ultimately served as an agent in El Paso, Deming, and Marfa, retiring out of Marfa as Assistant Patrol Chief in Charge. Having been an outdoorsman all his life, he chose to retire to Del Rio and enjoy fishing at Lake Amistad. He participated in many fishing tournaments and sometimes ran the camera boat for BASS CHAMPS.

Daraliene passed away in Del Rio in January 2007, and by this time Carolyn Swaim had been single for many years. Jim proposed that they put their lives together in marriage. After much thought and conversations, she said "yes", and they were still married at the time of his death.

Their travels began when Jim took Carolyn to London and Normandy for D-Day in 2008. After that they signed on with Holland America Cruise Lines sailing on six cruises to many destinations including Alaska (2), Hawaii, Amsterdam, Berlin, St. Petersburg (Russia), Sweden, Islands in the south Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand.

Travel by ship wasn't the only mode of transportation. With their two miniature Dachshunds in tow, they traveled in their 5th wheel across the western and southeastern United States covering over 25 states of this great country. Having enjoyed rodeoing and rounding up cattle on days off on ranches in Texas, Jim wanted to go to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. So they attended that event every December for ten years enjoying Las Vegas and "Cowboy Town".

Jim enjoyed the outdoors - bass fishing at Lake Amistad, fishing tournaments, fly fishing in Colorado where he often spent summers at his cabin in Lake City. He was a good marksman and liked to "go to the range" as well as go hunting. He appreciated great artists - both "Van Goghes" and family friends alike. He knew and appreciated history and military history and enjoyed great military museums especially the Naval History Museum in Pensacola FL where a P5M that he actually flew is preserved for posterity.

With a life well lived and full of travel and adventures, he had many wonderful experiences to share. Many friends have enjoyed just listening to him talk about a lot of these over a meal or at a meeting. Everyone enjoyed time with Jim.

He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Del Rio, The Del Rio Masonic Lodge, the Retired Border Patrol Group in Del Rio, The Martin Mariner Association (Navy P5M Pilots).

Jim is survived by his wife, Carolyn, of the home; son, Stacy (Tiffany) of Midland TX; son, Brad of Colorado; and step children, Stan Swaim (Melissa) of Mannford OK and Sharon of Los Angeles; and two step grandsons, Tyrwynn of Tulsa, OK and Joseph of Los Angeles.

A Chapel service will be held on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 12:00 PM at the Sunset Memorial Oaks Funeral Home. The interment will be held on Friday, June 30, 2023 at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa, Texas.