John Willard Smith
John Willard Smith 1927-2026
Graveside services were held Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Elida Cemetery, followed by a lunch/visiting at the Floyd Senior Center in Floyd, NM. The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Monday evening from 6 to 8 p.m.
John’s family would like to thank everyone at Cornerstone Caregivers, especially Irene, Ruth, Dee, Shanelle and Ezzie for their compassionate care and friendship. They would also like to thank everyone from Beyond Faith Hospice including Chris, Nathan and Kristina and everyone at Callendar House of Lubbock. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your favorite charity.
John W. Smith, fondly known as Johnny, was born May 15, 1927, at the homestead of John N. Smith and Emelia Eminger Smith in the Kentucky Valley community northwest of Elida. He passed from this life May 13, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas, two days before his 99th birthday.
Johnny attended school in Kentucky Valley through second grade and attended Elida schools after the two schools consolidated. He was not able to finish high school because he was drafted into the US Army where he served two years with one year of that being in Germany. He was a World War II Veteran. He received an honorable discharge and returned to Elida to farm with his father and attended GI school. He continued to help his mother with the farm after his father died in 1951.
Johnny married the love of his life, Nelva Goff on November 28, 1953, at her parents’ home in the Upton community. They lived in the Floyd community where they raised a family, farmed, ranched, ran a dairy and raised chickens.
Johnny was a progressive cattleman. He used artificial insemination to improve the genetics of his dairy and beef cattle, was one of the first to run yearlings on wheat pasture and had one of the 1st gooseneck trailers in the area. He was always available to help friends and neighbors with sick cattle or horses.
Johnny never met a stranger and always had a smile and time for a cup of coffee and conversation. Johnny loved his family and his extended family and friends. He spent many hours helping his children and others with 4-H and FFA projects, school projects, taking kids to ball games and anything that needed to be done.
He was an honorary member of the Floyd FFA and Honorary State Farmer. John and Nelva were recently honored as the 2025 Roosevelt County Pioneers of the year from Floyd. He served for 24 years as a director of the Roosevelt County Telephone Association, serving one term as President. He was a member of the Floyd Baptist Church where he served as treasurer and Sunday School superintendent. Johnny was instrumental in remodeling the parsonage. In 2000 John and Nelva moved to Lubbock and joined the Broadview Baptist Church. John believed in the power of prayer and shared his Christian testimony with his family, friends, neighbors and caregivers.
He is survived by Nelva, his wife of 72 years, daughter Diane Kretschmer and son-in-law Joe Kretschmer of Lubbock, son Greg Smith of Elida, grandchildren Bailey Kretschmer of inter Park, Colorado and Dalton Kretschmer of Lubbock and sister-in-law Reba Luce of Sallisaw, Oklahoma. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins and friends and special neighbors Lundy and Jaime Kinder who have become family.
He was preceeded in death by his parents and his mother-in-law and father-in-law Leonard and Reta Goff, brothers Charles Smith (died in 1918 flu pandemic), Joe Smith, Leslie Smith and sisters Inez Jones, Lear V Smith (died in 1918 flu pandemic), Essie Lightfoot and Esther Haun.
Arrangements are under the direction of Wheeler Mortuary of Portales. 575-356-4455, wheelermortuary.net
