A family paid a beautiful tribute to their beloved late grandfather by wearing ties from his collection to his funeral.
Gene Smith, from Kansas City, Missouri, was seen as a pillar of his family, with everyone looking up to him and how he carried himself and dressed.
Gene, who was 83 when he passed, was a preacher and barber for nearly five decades, always wearing a suit and tie to preach and officiate weddings, while also maintaining a timeless flattop haircut through his work.
After Gene’s passing, his family found a large bag in his closet, which they estimated contained around 100 different ties.
These had been worn during his years of preaching, and so his wife thought it would be special if, for Gene’s funeral, the men in the family “dressed to the nines,” which was something he really valued, with each wearing a different tie.
At the celebration, Gene’s granddaughter, Lexi Johnson, 29, walked around the room and captured wholesome, short videos of her husband, dad, Gene’s two great-grandsons and his four grandsons each wearing one of his ties.
Capturing the clips on June 26, 2025, was emotional, Lexi said, and she later shared a compilation of her videos on social media, where viewers passed on loving messages.
Lexi said: “My grandpa was a pillar in our family, and we all looked up to him, so his passing hit us all hard.
“He was a preacher for so long and always wore a suit and tie to preach.
“As a preacher, he officiated dozens of weddings and funerals as well, always wearing a suit and tie.
“His staple look was a suit & tie with a flattop haircut because he also served as a barber for 43 years before Parkinson’s made him unable to work.
“He had a large bag in his closet full of ties.
“We estimated over 100, so my mom thought it would be a special way to pay tribute, and I know he would’ve loved seeing all the men dressed to the nines, something he really valued.
“It was emotional to see them all wearing something from him on the day we said goodbye.
“The response to the video overwhelming and so comforting; hearing from people impacted by my grandpa at some point in his life was meaningful.
“It then went viral and I kept getting notified that more and more people loved the idea and wanted to use it for their loved ones, which was special knowing he had another way of positively impacting people even after his passing.”
