Charles Manning Smith's Obituary
Charles Manning “Charley” Smith passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in his home on December 12, 2023. He was born in Atlanta on May 26, 1955 and was the son of the late Walter and Jean Smith. He grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Northside High School in 1974. He went on to graduate from Western Kentucky University in 1980 with a degree in Public Relations.
For most of his career (1982 – 2009) Charley worked for the Atlanta Hawks, primarily in Sales, Marketing and Promotional Product Services. During that time, he was a widely recognized fixture at all of the Hawks home games, where he was responsible for various promotional activities as well as the half time shows.
Charley became a member of Northside United Methodist Church in 2010 where, early on, he enjoyed participating as an amateur actor in a number of productions through the church’s Drama Ministry. He also enjoyed his time each Tuesday with a small men’s bible study group at NUMC. Charley had an active interest in politics and, for a number of years, did volunteer work with the Cobb County GOP.
Perhaps Charley’s greatest passion was his love of Georgia Tech. Though he did not attend the school, he was an ardent Tech fan throughout his life, and faithfully (through bad seasons and good) attended most all of the football games at Bobby Dodd Stadium. He also enjoyed attending the North Metro Georgia Tech “Lunch Bunch” gatherings held each Monday. In addition to sports, he had a deep interest in music as well as old movies.
Charley is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Walter and Carol Smith (Portland, OR); his sister and brother-in-law, Janet and David Smith (Bend, OR); and his sister and brother-in-law, Patty and Lou Gerland (Atlanta, GA). He is also survived by a niece and 4 nephews: Erin Smith (Burlingame CA); Britton Smith, Tyler Smith and Jeff Smith (Portland OR); and Colby Smith (Scarsdale NY).
A brief graveside service is planned for Wednesday December 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Westview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to send a memorial may direct it to Northside United Methodist Church; 2799 Northside Drive NW; Atlanta GA 30305. Funeral arrangements handled by Davis-Struempf Funeral Home, Austell GA.
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