A volunteer firefighter who died a month after being burned while battling a wildfire in the Oklahoma panhandle will be buried Sunday.
The funeral for Jason Smith is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Balko Baptist Church in Balko, Oklahoma.
Smith and Tyler Morris were burned April 5 when their truck rolled over in a ditch.
The two were helping fight the Beaver River Fire in Beaver County.
They were treated in the burn unit at University Medical Center in Lubbock.
Smith was released from the hospital on April 19.
He died Sunday.
Obituary
Jason Timothy Smith was born in McAlester, Oklahoma on September 18, 1978 to Paul Timothy Smith and Angela Denise Wiseman. Initially a city boy, he grew up in southeastern Oklahoma. As he grew, he developed into a young man who possessed a strong work ethic with a keen and intelligent mind accompanied with a wit that never failed to make the people around him laugh. He possessed a sense of responsibility and a deep love for family and friends. These went on to form the man that touched all of our lives in the best of ways.
As a child, he was mischievous and adventurous yet respectful to his parents and elders. He was a knife and gun carrying crack shot by the time he was 10 and could build a fire, shelter and eat captured game. He loved everything mechanical and grew a passion for anything on wheels. The outdoors was his safe place and hunting, fishing, family, and friends his passion. He was a renaissance man, never accepting the status quo, and easily picked up an eclectic mix of hobbies including metal working, reading, vehicle construction, fishing, shooting, reloading, collecting guns and gear, Guitar Hero, James Bond 007, travel, animal husbandry, and gardening.
His predominant influences that shaped his ideals, morals, and ethics were his Grandpa Wiseman and his Uncle Keith. Jason took personal possession of the familial and work ethics practiced by these men and worked tirelessly to incorporate those principles into his own life.
He graduated high school in 1997 from Wagoner, Oklahoma and married Crystal Schwagel while working in the automobile industry with his grandfather, Don Wiseman. Crystal and Jason introduced a beautiful baby girl, Taylor, to the world in February of 1998. They moved their family to Balko, Oklahoma and in May of 2000 brought another beautiful baby girl, Julia, into the family.
We can confidently say that Jason would have considered his most successful accomplishments in life to be his family. He proudly worked as fleet manager and mechanic for Drilling Fluids Technology, was a member of Balko Community Faith Church, supported the local Lion’s Club, and served as a Captain in the Balko Fire Department all while never failing to be there for his neighbors and family in any way possible.
He was the humblest Titan you’ll ever meet and always gave his admiration and credit to anyone but himself. As a matter of fact he’d be pretty upset with us right now for fussing over him so much.
He married the love of his life Amy Cowan on June 7, 2008. As a result of their union, the following years of his life until his passing on May 8, 2022 was filled with successes and failures that were always supported with genuine familial love and an ever-deepening bond with his friends and community. He and Amy were a whole person together and they KNEW it; both of them finding an unrivaled completion of heart, mind, and soul. They realized and built a joy, a love, and a profound friendship in the other that prevented typical disagreements between spouses. The story books would call it a “love for the ages.” This union provided Jason with the necessary elements to finalize his dreams of having a beautiful home to raise a family in and ensure his children got the best of examples to model their lives after; continuing the legacy of a man we hope to emulate.
He wept tears of joy and love when his grandson, Emmett, was born to Taylor and Jacob in January of 2022. That look of love and wonder on his face surpassed words. He also received a bonus grandson with the addition of Jacob's nephew, Jaxon just three days prior to Emmett's birth.
He was a man of virtue and grace under a veil of “awe shucks”. He knew and practiced honor without hypocrisy. He made us feel better with his easy ways and ever present wit. He made us better by selflessly and tirelessly setting examples and being a friend to all. Jason was one-of-a kind and his loss will be felt for years to come.
Jason was escorted home by a multitude of first responders. His passing left several communities and thousands of people heartbroken. The family is extremely appreciative of this memorable welcome home and will always remember it fondly.
Let this stand as witness to the magnitude of Jason’s life and the impact it had and continues to have on our own. Honor his memory with your actions of love and kindness to loved ones and strangers alike...and shoot lots of bullets through lots of guns...he’d like that too!
Jason was preceded in death by two grandfathers, Paul Smith and Ronald DeanTurner.
He is survived by his wife Amy of Balko, Oklahoma; daughter Taylor Smith and boyfriend Jacob Chamberlain of Hobart, Oklahoma; daughter Julia Smith of Henderson, Texas, father Tim Smith of Mobile, Alabama; mother Denise Wiseman of Tulsa, Oklahoma; sister Krista Johnson and husband Jeremy of Coweta, Oklahoma; brother Jeremy Smith of Tulsa, Oklahoma: grandparents Don and Evelyn Wiseman of Muskogee, Oklahoma; grandmother Barbara Smith of Tulsa, Oklahoma and two grandchildren Jaxon and Emmett. He also has many other family too numerous to mention.