Michael Lee Smithson, 63, of Southern Pines, died Monday, Dec. 25, 2006, at his home in Southern Pines.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date for family and friends .

Mr. Smithson was born in Kansas City, Mo., to the late Lee Kerby Smithson and Marie Schmidt Smithson. He was a 1961 graduate of East Southern Pines High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Belmont Abbey College in 1966. He served in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam and flew over 350 combat missions in AC-47s and B-52s.

From 1974 to his retirement in 2004, he worked in the family business, Smithson of Southern Pines, Inc., a manufacturing operation in Southern Pines. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills since 1975, and served five terms on the Southern Pines Town Council, holding offices of treasurer and mayor pro-tem. He served on the Southern Pines Planning Board and was a volunteer firefighter with the Southern Pines Fire Department from 1977-1997.

Mr. Smithson spent his retirement years maintaining his horse farm, working on his model train collection, and fighting the never-ending battle with falling pinecones.

Mr. Smithson is survived by his wife, Wendy; his sons, Christopher Allen Smithson and his wife, Mary, and Mark Stephen Smithson and his wife, Ashley, all of Southern Pines; his daughter, Dale Marie Smithson of Southern Pines; his brothers, Kenneth Smithson of Southlake, Texas, and Buck Smithson of Southern Pines; his sister, Sandy Donovan of Memphis, Tenn.; and three grandchildren, Samuel, Mia, and Matthew.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sandhills Kiwanis Charitable Foundation, PO Box 1274, Southern Pines, NC 28388.

Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines is serving the family.