CORNELIA, Ga. — Fire trucks lined South Main Street in Cornelia. Aerial ladders stretched high above the roadway. Public safety personnel stood at attention outside the fire station where Frankie Smith spent nearly half a century serving his community.
As the fire engine carrying Smith’s flag-draped coffin approached the firehouse downtown Friday afternoon, uniformed officers raised their hands in salute.
Tribute honors lifetime of service
The funeral procession on July 31 was a fitting tribute for the former Cornelia fire chief who passed away at his home in Demorest on July 27. He was 75.
The procession of several dozen vehicles made its way through downtown Cornelia en route to Mountain View Baptist Church near Baldwin, where the longtime public servant was laid to rest.
Local residents, too, joined in the tribute, standing reverently on sidewalks and in parking lots.
The American flag flew at half-staff outside the Cornelia fire station. Overhead, an AirLife helicopter tracked the procession as Chief Smith’s body made its way one last time through the streets of the community he once served.
Laid to rest
It was a fitting tribute for a man who spent nearly five decades protecting this corner of Northeast Georgia.
Joining the fire service fresh out of high school at age 17, Smith spent his career in Cornelia, Mt. Airy, and surrounding areas. He served as Cornelia’s fire chief from 1972 until he retired in 2017. During that time, he mentored generations of firefighters while overseeing decades of growth and change in both the department and the community.
A man of deep faith, Smith was laid to rest at Mountain View Baptist Church Cemetery following his funeral. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ruth Smith, their son and daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters.
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