Ray Kenneth Smalling, 78

Mr. Ray Kenneth Smalling, age 78, passed away Tuesday afternoon, November 4, 2008 at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. Funeral services for Ray Kenneth Smalling were conducted Friday, November 7, 2008 at 1 p.m. from the Chapel of the Anderson & Son Funeral Home in Lafayette with Elder Stoney Morris officiating.

Interment followed in the Anderson and Son Memorial Park. Kenneth Shrum, Oscar Dominguez, Radford West, Ricky Shoulders, Steve Walker, and Conald Jenkins served as Pallbearers. Ray Kenneth was born on March 3, 1930 in Macon County, Tenn., one of two siblings of the late Wendall Wesley and Lillian (Massey) Smalling. He married the former Cozella Patterson on October 12, 1946, who survives. Ray Kenneth’s passion in this life was his love for his faithful wife of 62 years and farming. Anyone that ever worked with him would say that he was very innovative, always willing to try new ideas in the farming business. If a new idea worked, that was an accomplishment to relish in and if it did not work, he would always say, “well, we know not to try that again’.  He has done extensive work with the agriculture officials, not only in Macon County, but also with the University of Tennessee and the University of Kentucky, testing various plants, chemicals, means of growth, and varieties of tobacco on his farm. He had gained a reputation of accomplishing a few tobacco farming “firsts” on his land. He was among the first to raise waterbed plants and set no-till tobacco with homemade equipment. He was known for growing two tobacco crops a year. He took care of around 70 head of cattle making enough hay and feed corn to get them through the winter. He also raised rabbit crops on contract and would keep about 700 head consistently, selling the newborns that quickly grow to a marketable age when they reach 5 to five and one half pounds. Nothing was wasted as the rabbit droppings were used as fertilizer. He had served on the Macon County Equalization Board, Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 1977 to 1995, Board Member of the Macon-Trousdale Board of Directors, Soil Conservation Board, Community Committeeman on the ASCS Board, the only Chairman, since it’s forming in 1983 of the Macon County Fair Field Crops Department. His faithful wife worked most days by his side with the farming operation they have. The most important accomplishment he made while living was being saved at the age of 14 and baptized into the Union Camp Missionary Baptist Church. In addition to his beloved wife, he is survived by; sister Anna Dean Smalling Jenkins, nephew, Conald (Judy) Jenkins all of the Haysville Community, and special adoptive family, Oscar and wife, Jamie Dominguez and their daughter, Anna Imogene Dominguez, who lives on the Smalling farm in the Kirbytown Community and helps work on the farm, and nieces, nephews, and cousins.