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Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home
 Billy Joe Smith
(July 30, 1941 - April 9, 2014)
Billy Joe Smith of Natchitoches, after a valiant struggle with cancer, passed peacefully in his sleep on April 9th, 2014. Born in Natchitoches on July 30, 1941, he was 72 years old. He is survived by his daughters and spouses, Hanna and Greg Friedman, and Haley and Michael Vickers; along with three grandchildren, Erin Friedman, Johanna Vickers and Hanna Vickers; siblings, Sherry Smith Bass of Lake Charles and Cindy Smith Tarver of Eugene, OR
He was preceded in death by his ex-wife, Peggy LaCour and his parents, Willie (Bill) Smith and Pearl McGraw Smith Driever.
Billy attended Warren Easton Elementary and Natchitoches High School, and was a member of the National Guard for 18 months.
Soon after leaving the National Guard, the lure of the South Louisiana oil fields beckoned him and he had a notable career, rising in rank from roust-about to leadership positions with such companies as Brown & Root, Haliburton, OPI and De Mar Construction (Ciudad Del Carmen, Mexico) where he was still working after 20 years as General Manager.
Billy’s long tenure in the oil business afforded him the honor and privilege to work with such legendary pioneers as Joe Perot, Bill Hicks, Sam Smith, Jack Allday and Dennis Chow. In his career on the barges and boats, Billy was known as the "Southern Daddy"! One of his proudest achievements came in the early 70s, when Billy was employed with Brown & Root and was a part of the team that laid the very first oil pipeline in the North Sea in Great Yarmouth, England.
Billy’s career enabled him to travel all over the world, including the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Denmark, India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Mexico, Singapore, Egypt, Nigeria and Ecuador. But no matter where he was, his heart was always with his family in Natchitoches, and he kept Cane River country as his home base.
Billy’s job kept him on the road much of the time, but while in Natchitoches he attended the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and previously served in the Masonic Lodge and the Knights of Columbus.
Loving father and grandfather, beloved brother and trusted friend to many, he will be sorely missed by all.
Visitation and eulogy services will be at Blanchard St. Denis funeral home on Sunday, April 13, 2014 from 5 pm until 8 pm. Recitation of the Rosary will be held at 7:30 pm on the 13th. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 am Monday, April 14, 2014 at The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Natchitoches, LA with Father Louis Sklar serving as celebrant. Burial at Memory Lawn will follow the service. Friends and relatives are invited to join his daughters at his home, 541 Monroe Drive in Natchitoches following the interment.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers include: Edwin “Ned” Tarver, Benjamin Robert Landers, Ben “Skipper” Bass, Jr., Lee Lyons, Tim Methvin, Randy LaCaze, Jr., Joseph “Jody” LaCour and Judson Landon LaCour. Honorary pallbearers will be Bill Hicks, Jerry LaCour, Robert Fredieu, Alan Solomon, Jimmy Robinson, Chuck Denning, Jack McBride, Dwane Murphy, Ben Bass, Sr., Carl Taylor, Glenn Blackmon, and Ryan Camu.
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