Mortimer Fenton Smith of 1119 Lafayette Avenue in Cayce, SC, died on Saturday, February 6, 2010. He was married to the former Elaine Ross for 58 years.

Born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, February 14, 1924, Mr. Smith was the son of the late Forrest Stanmore Smith and Justine Eva Sanders Smith. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and served in the United States Air Force as a legal officer during the Korean conflict. Mortimer received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina.

Mr. Smith, a former mayor of the City of Cayce, practiced law in Cayce for 30 years. He was a Lexington County Family Court Judge for eight years and served on the Board of Directors of First Federal Savings and Loan of Cayce for more than 30 years, five of those years as board chairman.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of West Columbia, having served as a Sunday School teacher, and on the Building Committee. He was a past president of the Cayce–West Columbia Lions Club where he was an active member for over 35 years.

Surviving are his wife, Elaine Ross Smith; son, Javan “Van” Ross Smith Sr. of Marietta, GA; and daughter–in–law, Regina K. Smith; and a daughter, Sheryl Smith Wood of Norfolk, Va., and son–in–law, James Marshall Wood; four grandsons: Javan Ross Smith Jr., Ross Marshall Wood, Adam Fenton Wood, and Zachary James Wood.

Funeral service for Mr. Smith was held at 11 am Thursday, February 11, 2010, at First Baptist Church of West Columbia. Officiating was Dr. Lonnie Shull. Burial followed in Woodridge Memorial Park. The family received friends from 7–9 pm Wednesday evening at Thompson Funeral Home in West Columbia.