Bench dedication

When James William (J.W.) Thompson (1924 - 2018) realized that his great grandfather (Samuel Colby Jackson, (1847 - 1933) donated the first acreage of land to build the Smyrna Cemetery, he always wanted to do something in honor of this man whom he had only met a few times in his life . Unfortunately Thompson became ill in 2018 and died of cancer before he could fulfill this promise. His two daughters, Brenda Ostroth and Rose Oliphant, in honor of their father last wishes commissioned a bench to be placed in the Smyrna Cemetery near the grave of Jackson, so that those who visit this cemetery will be able to sit and rest a while as they visit those who have gone before. Several family members and friends gathered together to dedicate the bench on September 6, 2019. Among the attendees were John L. Barrington, Nina Schwab, Sandi Zbranek, Jodi Shafor, Jami May, and Sunni Moseley, all descendants of Samuel Colby Jackson.

(This is a correction from the article that ran a few weeks back.)