Johnny Mac Smith, DVM, passed away on Saturday evening, October 10, after a brief battle with a very aggressive form of liver cancer. He was at home, surrounded by his loving family.A funeral service, followed by a celebration of his life, is being planned for a later date in November.Johnny Mac hailed from “L.A.” (lower Alabama, as he enjoyed claiming). He was a proud graduate of Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. His practice began at the racetracks in Florida, but he gravitated to a permanent practice in Ocala, where he later formed a partnership with Dr. John Peterson. Their clinic, Peterson and Smith, grew into one of the largest and most highly regarded equine practices in the United States.While in Kentucky for the sales, Johnny Mac met Lucy Graddy of Versailles. After a brief courtship, they married and returned to Florida, where they had three sons. Johnny Mac liked to say that his father-in-law, Henry Graddy, told him at their wedding reception that “Kentucky girls always return home, with or without their husbands.”As it turned out, when Johnny Mac became extremely allergic to horses, he left his practice in Florida, and the Smith family moved to Kentucky, where he and Lucy raised their boys, a herd of cattle, crops, flowers and quail for private hunts at their Springside Farm in Woodford County.For 10 years, Johnny Mac worked with the Keeneland Yearling Inspection Team. He became an invaluable veterinary asset to the Keeneland Repository and helped resolve technical issues relating to the Conditions of Sale.While on the Keeneland Inspection Team, he impressed Dr. Gary Lavin, who enlisted Johnny Mac to assist with grant requests and determine which were to be awarded through the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He continued this work from home during his illness.Those who knew Johnny Mac will remember him as an outstanding horseman, a highly qualified veterinarian, a valued research scientist, an extraordinary father and grandfather, a devoted husband and a man of character. He was a powerful figure with a quiet, kind and thoughtful nature.Anyone who met him immediately took a liking to him. His friends were innumerable, and he will be forever missed by all who knew him.The post Respected Equine Veterinarian Dr. Johnny Mac Smith Passes Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.