Bernell "Doc" Smith San Angelo Bernell "Doc" Smith was called home on Monday, July 17, 2017, in San Angelo, Texas. He was born on March 3, 1932, on the family farm near Mereta to Oscar and Lillian Smith. He was your average farm kid, sharing adventures with his brother and their dog, Tuffy, a bulldog with a face scarred by too many curious peeks into rattlesnake dens.He attended a little school a couple of miles down the road. One day his mom asked Doc's grandfather if he would pick Doc and his brother up from school. He agreed. Upon arriving at school, he told the teacher he was there to pick up his grandkids. "What are their names?", she asked. He froze. Their real names were Bernell and Clarence Newton. He couldn't remember them, so the teacher refused to turn the kids over. He went home with no grandsons. Soon afterward, he decided the boys would go by the names "Doc" and "Dutch" because they were easier to remember. And from that day on, he went by "Doc." He didn't say if his granddad ever tried to pick them up at school again. I'm betting no.As a teen, one year he faced the impossible challenge of bringing in the crops on time. His dad told him that if he did it, he'd buy him a car. If you knew Doc, you know how the story had to end, in a brand-new shiny black Ford Tudor. As a young man, he loved baseball, playing for Al's Chicken Hutt, the Mereta Cultivator Jockeys and the Central High Bobcats. He played catcher, a position he attempted to pass on to his son, Gary, who sadly was left-handed and couldn't hit a curve ball anyhow.Doc eloped to Mexico with his high school sweetheart, Betty Jane Hunt, on Dec. 20, 1952. They were afraid to tell anyone for several weeks however and kept the marriage secret. When he was drafted into the Army in January of 1953, they discovered that the army wouldn't recognize a foreign wedding as official, so they got married again in January at his aunt's house in Eldorado, weeks before he shipped out.He spent most of his time in the service on the crew of an anti-aircraft gun on the northern coast of Japan. After the service, he gave up farming to go to work for San Angelo College in its early years. His first office was under a tree when it was San Angelo College, and he helped it become Angelo State College and later, Angelo State University. He served as Physical Plant Director for more than 30 years. If you walk around the ASU campus, you'll see his labor of love everywhere. He was an incredible carpenter, a genius mechanic, a botanical wizard and he made a pretty spectacular Sunday morning pancake. What more could you ask for?After retirement, he enjoyed camping and traveling. He loved going to NASCAR races and watching his favorite baseball teams with Mike and Laura and his granddaughters, the San Angelo Colts and Texas Rangers. And he had some fine adventures. He and sons Rick and Gary spent a week exploring the Grand Canyon. They had much fun except for his unfortunate choices in freeze-dried pudding. The Great Rocky Mountain Tandem Bicycle Fiasco will someday be made into a folk song. A pizza and a beer while watching the Dallas Cowboys in a snowstorm? Now that's living. He lived! He had a good life, a loving family and a lot of great stories. What more could you ask for? We'll miss him a lot. Especially those pancakes.But, life wasn't over for Doc yet, on May 16, 2015 he married Maggie Zapata. Together they enjoyed each other's company and passion for gardening, going to the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo and watching the Texas Rangers. They were able to travel and see Doc's favorite Texas Rangers ball players. Also, he was able to check off places to see and things to do off his bucket list.He was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar Bernell and Lillian Smith; his brother, Clarence Newton "Dutch" Smith; and his wife of 61 years Betty Jane Smith.He is survived by his wife, Maggie Smith and her family; sons Rick Smith and wife June, Gary Smith and wife Amanda and Michael Smith and wife Laura; and granddaughters Anne Smith and Katherine Smith.Family visitation is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at Johnson's Funeral Home. Graveside service is at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens.Family and friends are encouraged to share memories, send condolences and sign the online guestbook at johnsons-funeralhome.com. The family would like to extend a special thank you to all who cared for him.