Jeff Smith killed in head-on collision

Hot Springs Sentinel Record special sections editor, 49-year old Jeff Smith was killed in a head-on collision near Bismark on Highway 7, Friday, October 10, at 4:25 p.m. Smith was a 17 year resident of Hot Springs Village.

In addition to his coverage of Hot Springs Village and Northern Garland County, Smith was a prolific writer of books, both fiction and non-fiction. Many of the books are set in the Hot Springs area, all are available on Amazon or at All Things Arkansas on Central Avenue in Hot Springs.

His titles include: Within the Gates, 7 Days of Panic, Between the Elders, Memories of Spearsville, Secrets of Island 27, Death in the Darkness, Escape from the Big Easy, The East Mountain Murders, Death Comes to a Small Town, Vanished on the Vista and The Charleston Connection. He has at least one unpublished manuscript ready to go to press.

Smith has been active with the Hot Springs Village Players for the last six years. He was set to make his directing debut with Murder Can be Habit Forming. Lee Iafrate has agreed to step in and carry through his vision with the play coming to the Woodlands on November 7, 8 and 9.

Jeff Smith was a good reporter, writer and friend, a truly nice man and will be missed. His viewing is Thursday, October 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. His funeral is on Friday, October 17 at 2 p.m. at Ruggles-Wilcox funeral home in Arkadelphia.

Again, there was a fatal car wreck on Highway 7 near Bismark on Friday, October 10. Stephanie Philyaw's car crossed into on-coming traffic hitting two vehicles. Of the two cars Philyaw hit, driver Darren Brewster was not injured, driver Jeff Smith was killed.