Hot Springs

About Us

The caring and experienced professionals at Smith Family Funeral Homes are here to support you through this difficult time. We offer a range of personalized services to suit your family’s wishes and requirements. You can count on us to help you plan a personal, lasting tribute to your loved one. And we’ll carefully guide you through the many decisions that must be made during this challenging time.

History & Community

Our story began with a twenty-year-old man's search for a job. That search resulted in a sixty-year tradition of providing excellent service for a community and its families.

It was 1951 when young Everett Smith, Jr. found work as an ambulance driver for a Hot Springs funeral home. Everett had no idea what to expect working around a funeral home, but his involvement soon generated a passionate interest in and dedication to the profession. He became a licensed funeral director in 1957, and in 1963 was hired by Marlin and Louise Davis for their funeral home in Glenwood. Everett, his wife Ruth, and their eight-year-old son Everett Anthony 'Tony,' made the move to Glenwood from their home in Hot Springs.

Tony began serving his apprenticeship with a Conway funeral home in 1981. The following year, he married Ladonna Cowart; they soon moved to Dallas, Texas, where Tony enrolled in the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. After graduation, they moved to Little Rock where Tony was employed before returning to Glenwood to work with his father and Mr. and Mrs. Davis.

After the Davis' retirement in 1989, the funeral home was purchased by the Smith family; the name was then changed to the Davis-Smith Funeral Home. At that time, Ladonna, also a licensed funeral director, began working with the firm full-time.

In the years that followed, Davis-Smith Funeral Home began to have a significant number of services in the Hot Springs and Garland County areas. To accommodate that demand, land was purchased, and expansion and construction for the Davis-Smith Hot Springs facility began in 2000.

Today, the Smith family and their staff operate facilities in the original location, 209 North 3rd Street in Glenwood, as well as at 2205 Airport Road in Hot Springs.

In 2017, to meet the growing needs of our cremation families, construction was completed and operations began at the Davis-Smith Crematory. This addition enabled us to better serve our families with schedules that met their needs. It also gave them the peace of mind knowing their loved one never left our care.

In December 2021, Jeff and Leslie Smith became a part of the Davis-Smith legacy. View the announcement below: 

Smith Family Funeral Homes is proud to announce the acquisition of two Davis-Smith Funeral Homes, one in Hot Springs and the other in neighboring Glenwood. On December 29, 2021, Smith Family Funeral Homes co-owners, Jeff and Leslie Smith, acquired Davis-Smith Funeral Home & Crematory from Everett, Tony and Ladonna Smith.

“I’m thrilled to bring the two Smith families together so we can continue to provide the same level of service that folks in Hot Springs and Glenwood have come to expect thanks to the care that Davis-Smith Funeral Home has provided over the years,” says owner Jeff Smith. He continues, “I’m grateful that Everett, Tony, and Ladonna will be staying on to help us as we merge two family legacies. The Smith family and my family share a rich history of serving Arkansans in their greatest time of need. My team and I are honored to carry on the Davis-Smith tradition of providing the best possible services to our community, at fair and affordable prices.” 

The acquisition of Davis-Smith Funeral Home gives Smith Family Funeral Homes the ability to serve even more families with eight locations in Central Arkansas, a role Jeff Smith and his team have always taken to heart: “This isn’t just a job for us—it’s a calling,” says Smith. 

He continues, “When I reflect on what my grandfather started over 65 years ago when he opened our first funeral home and the sacrifices he made and his conviction for his work—I am always humbled. I wish he could be here to see how far we’ve come. But more than that, I wish he could see the passion with which we serve our families. We are so honored to become part of the Hot Springs and Glenwood communities and look forward to meeting new neighbors and friends at the Smith Family Funeral Homes - Hot Springs and Glenwood locations.”