Dallas

Funeral Arrangements Announced for Sgt. Michael Smith

Sgt. Michael Smith, who once received a "Cops' Cop" award from the Dallas Police Association, will be laid to rest Thursday.

Visitation will be Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., his body will lie in repose at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church. Two law enforcement officers will stand guard throughout.

Funeral Mass will be Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. for family, friends, parish and school family and coworkers.

At Noon on Thursday there will be a "Civic Funeral" for Smith at Watermark Church in Dallas where he worked security several days a week for many years. Watermark has more than triple the amount of seating than Mary Immaculate, so this location is much better suited for the extremely large number of law-enforcement that are expected. Internment at Restland to follow.

A COPS' COP

The police sergeant's positive attitude impressed those around him.

The pastor of a church where Smith worked security remembered him as professional and compassionate.

"It genuinely troubled him when he saw people treated as objects or when protocol got in the way of personal care," Pastor Todd Wagner of Watermark Community Church in Dallas said in a statement.

Father Michael Forge, pastor at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, notified parishioners of Smith's death in an email. Smith, his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters were part of the parish in Farmers Branch, north of Dallas.

"I'm asking all of us to pull together in prayer and support for the Smith family, as well as the other officers' families," Forge wrote.

Smith was a U.S. Army Ranger before joining the Dallas Police Department in 1989. He volunteered at his church and the YMCA, according to a 2009 article in the Dallas Police Association's newsletter.

The article described him as conscientious, noting he often attended advanced training on his own dime.

In one incident, he was cut on the head when he intervened as a gang member lunged at his partner, the article said. Smith received 31 stitches.

"He's just a really nice guy. He loved his wife, loved his daughters. He spent time with his family," Vanessa Smith, a friend of the officer's wife, told The Associated Press.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us