It was at the Fenimore place north and east of Lovington that Phil met Dorothy McCabe of Hope, NM and they married on July 31, 1929. They were both 18. The first home for the newlyweds was a tent near his parents, where Phil helped his dad "lamb out." Their first child, Joy, was born in 1930. Phil and Dorothy tried homesteading in the Fence Lake area near Trechechada. It was there that they experienced the "water wars" and witnessed a rancher gun down a nester who had fenced his animals from water. Phil himself was kidnapped and held for a while during "the Feud."
Moving back to the Hope, NM area, the family increased with the birth of daughter Jewel, and later their first son Phil, Jr. Finding work in the depression was difficult and in 1939 Phil and Dorothy moved back to Lea County and worked at the Pello Etcheverry Ranch. Learning the sheep business was an education for Phil. It was there that their third child, Rosa Lee, was born. They later moved the family to the "Hawk" Medlin ranch, where Phil learned that cattle were less frustrating that sheep but that they still needed water, so greasing and repairing windmills became a normal "cowboy" chore.
During WWII, Phil was exempted from joining the army because he was a family man and important to the ranching and water industries. It was during WWII that Phil moved his family to Lovington and began a sheep-sheering business. He later leased the Medlin ranch seven miles east of Lovington. Their last child, Royce, was born there. As his boys grew, Phil became active in the FFA program, helping his boys and others learn to care for and block their sheep. Phil was twice awarded the local FFA "Honorary Chapter Farmer" award. He was also the Seminole TX honoree in 1963. Eventually Phil and Dorothy bought the Medlin Homestead, seven miles West of Lovington.
He remained active in community affairs through the remainder of his life. He started the Smith Windmill Service, and at the age of 68 continued to answer calls for help from the ranchers around the county, bringing water from the underground basin to the surface by windmill and small pumps. He helped erect the Eclipse windmill at the Lovington Museum. Phil lost his beloved Dorothy to cancer in 1988 and his own life in 1989. Chester "Phil" Smith was a rancher, sheep and cattle man, and the most prominent "windmill" man in Lea County. Phil was known for his work ethic, his excellent work, and his love of family and friends.
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