The Powderly community is in a state of mourning after losing one of its own – a man who was very service-oriented and loved volunteering for the fire department.
Billy Mike Smith passed away earlier this week, leaving behind a wealth of wisdom to the Powderly community, being remembered as a “really good person to sit down and talk to about anything, because he had a lot of great wisdom to pass on.”
“This is a huge loss for the fire department and the community” Powderly VFD Chief Roger Bussell said. “Even though he didn’t say much, the thing I liked about Mike was when he did talk, you might want to stop what you’re doing and listen because he had a lot of great advice. Even with the fire department, he was very frugal with the money, making sure to plan for the future and not be reckless.”
Bussell said Mike, in his earlier years, was a “hardcore, dedicated fireman,” who would show up to every call he could. He said Mike would even serve the community to the best of his abilities – “the way you’d hope any of us would.”
Having been with the fire department since about the mid- to late-70s, Mike became a board member and had been the department’s treasurer for the better part of 20 years. As a man who liked serving the community, and loved the fire department, Mike was always found during just about any community event.
“Everything we did for the community, he was always there, concerned about the community and what we could do to serve it better,” Bussell said. “He was very service-oriented.”
Bussell described Mike as, “the guy who would say, ‘I gotta guy,’ when you said you needed something.
“Mike was worried about leaving us with loose ends,” Bussell said. “With him gone, I would want him to know ‘we go this. We’re good because you trained us well. Now go hunting.’
“We’re going to grieve, we’re going to mourn, but we all know he’s no longer in pain and he’s no longer suffering.”
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