CHET WILL BE MISSED BY JOHN BERRY

This has been a really tough year for me. First I lost my brother, then I lost my father and now I have lost my friend and fishing buddy, Chet. Chester L. Smith passed away last Sunday. He was born in Searcy, Arkansas and earned a Jurist Doctors degree from the University of Arkansas. After passing the Arkansas bar exam, he had a long and distinguished career as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After his retirement, he taught at Arkansas State University Mountain Home for several years. He was seventy three years old.

Chet was an avid fly fisher and fly tyer. He was involved in a number of fishing and conservation organizations. He was a life member of the Federation of Fly Fishers and received several awards from that organization. He was a long time member of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers, our local fly fishing club, where he served as president of that organization. He was also a member of the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. He was not just a member of these organizations but was actively involved with all of their activities.

Anytime you went to the Federation of Fly Fishers Southern Council Conclave (I will never get used to calling it a Fly Fishing Fair), he would be there working registration or whatever needed to be done. He was always there with the love of his life, his wife, Pat, a force of nature in her own right.

He was very active on the Sowbug Roundup committee. This is a large local fly tying event sponsored by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers. He and Pat were the co-chairmen of the fly tyer committee which invited and selected the various fly tyers that attended the show. I am also a member of the Sowbug Roundup Committee and Chet was always there and always made valuable contributions.

He was quite soft spoken but when he said something everyone listened. We did not always agree but I always sought out and respected opinion. Chet suffered no fools.

He was one of the first people I met when I moved here. We had several mutual friends and belonged to the same organizations. As a result, we attended the same parties meetings and other social events. Whether it was the annual Trout Unlimited banquet, the North Arkansas Fly Fishers Christmas party or a private New Years Eve party, we found ourselves outside discussing fishing, the world’s events or our grand children. He was a great conversationalist and a great listener.

We would fish together from time to time and I know him to be an accomplished angler. In the last few years, he was slowing down and did not enjoy wading any more. We discussed going out in the boat but never made it. I regret that we hadn’t fished together for a few years.

Chet you will be missed. We don’t have many people around her that can make the great contributions that you did. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.