Meade T. (Sonny) Smith

Meade Tevis (Sonny) Smith, Jr. passed away January 27, 2026 at age 84.
Meade was born on September 1, 1941 to Meade, Sr. and Helen (Emert) Smith in the home of his maternal grandmother in Independence, Kansas. His parents lived in Wichita at the time and later moved to Fredonia, Kansas during his first-grade year.
He graduated from Fredonia High School in 1959. He then went on to attend Rice University in Houston, Texas on a track scholarship for two years, ultimately transferring to Pittsburg State University where he also ran track and where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1963.
Meade spent 44 years working in the insurance business. He started out with companies in Wichita, Baltimore, Maryland and Dubuque, Iowa, and then became an independent insurance agent purchasing his first agency in Independence, Kansas in 1974. In 1977, he moved his family back to his hometown, purchasing an agency in Fredonia where worked until his retirement in 2007.
Meade married Ann Thomas in Fredonia in 1961 and they were blessed with three children, David (Melissa) of Overland Park, Kansas, Sherys (Bob) Mellen of Clearwater, Kansas and Rodger (Susan) of Shawnee, Kansas.
He was a member of the First Christian Church in Fredonia and a longtime member of the Rotary Club. During his years in Fredonia, he was a member of the Fredonia Library Board, The Fredonia Planning and Zoning Commission, the Fredonia Education Foundation, the Wilson County Rural Water District #2 and a 50-plus year member of the Kansas Masonic Order.
Meade loved sports, especially following his children and grandchildren as they competed and his sister Janell throughout her outstanding track career. He was a lifelong Kansas State Wildcats fan and enjoyed tailgating and attending their football games through the years. He also loved his bird dogs and hunting quail with his friends for many years of his life and treasured his time traveling with lifelong friend Bruce Monical and his wife Phyllis through the years.
Meade is survived by Ann and their children and spouses, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by one brother-in-law, Mike Carson of Pittsburg, Kansas, three nephews and their families and numerous cousins. His parents and sister Janell Carson preceded him in death.
Celebration of Life services will be held at the first Christian Church in Fredonia on Saturday,
February 7, 2026 at 11:00 A.M. under the direction of the Countryside Funeral Home in Fredonia. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the First Christian Church in Fredonia or the Janell Smith Carson Foundation and may be mailed or taken to Countryside Funeral Home, 420 S. 20th Street, PO Box 247, Fredonia, KS 66736.