CORNELIA — Members of the public are invited to pay their respects Friday, July 31, during a firefighter funeral procession for former Cornelia Fire Chief Frankie Smith.
Smith died Monday, July 27, 2026, at his home in Demorest, a city he proudly called home. He dedicated 49 years of his life to protecting the citizens of Cornelia, Mt. Airy and the surrounding area, serving as fire chief in Cornelia for more than 40 years.
The procession is scheduled to leave the funeral home at 175 VFW Post Road in Cornelia at 1:30 p.m. Friday and proceed through downtown Cornelia, passing the Cornelia Fire Department headquarters station on South Main Street.
Those who would like to line the sidewalks in support of Smith’s family and his firefighting family are asked to be in place by 1:30 p.m. and to remain on the sidewalks until the final vehicles in the procession have passed.
The procession route will begin at the funeral home, turn right onto Business 441, turn left onto Main Street into downtown Cornelia, pass Station 2 at 968 South Main St., proceed into Baldwin, turn left onto the 441 Bypass in Baldwin and turn left onto Ga. 105 in Banks County.
Public visitation for Smith will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30, and from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 31.
Funeral services with full firefighter honors will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Mountain View Baptist Church near Baldwin, followed by burial in the church cemetery.
