Clayton John Smith, lifelong Dallas resident, beloved father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away peacefully on Sunday. He was born in 1946. Third-generation owner and recently retired CEO and Chairman of the Board of Smith Protective Services, a private security firm founded in 1903 by his grandfather, retired Dallas Police Officer George A. Smith, Clayton led the family business into the modern age, embracing the newest computer technology and extending the Smith family business beyond the security industry. He was greatly loved by his family and respected by his contemporaries as an innovative thinker – a man ahead of his time. Clayton graduated from Hillcrest High School and received a degree in Electrical Engineering from SMU’s School of Engineering. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 27 years, Dee L. W. Smith. He is survived by his two brothers, Andrew L. Smith and Mark L. Smith (Janice and their sons Elliott and Alex), son Aaron L. Smith, daughter Kimberly Smith Wright, and two loving grandchildren. Due to current restrictions, memorial services will be closed to the public. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials are made in donations to NAMI or COTSO(Organization for Texas Security Officers). One of Clayton’s greatest loves was astrophysics and cosmology; his ashes will be launched into space at the end of the year.
