Dana December Smith

Portrait of Dana December Smith

On September 13th, 2020, Dana December Smith passed away from COVID-19 at the age of 54. Originally from Logan, West Virginia, Dana was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and was honored with full military rites. He is survived by his elderly mother. 

According to Dana’s attorney, Dana was “indispensable at the jail.” He spent over 30 years studying law and provided legal aid to many of the other residents at Mount Olive Correctional Complex, writing appeals and working on habeas briefs to help other incarcerated people at this facility to fight for their freedom. Dana’s absence will be felt greatly among the residents at Mount Olive, who cherished and valued his determination and generosity. 

Dana was the second person to die from COVID-19 at Mount Olive, a prison in West Virginia. He was transferred to an outside hospital after testing positive in late August. At the time of Dana’s passing, there were 28 positive cases at Mount Olive and over 160 residents there had already recovered. Dana’s tragic and preventable death underscores the need for state officials to take action to prevent more people from losing their lives from COVID-19. Dana was taken before his time. He will be missed dearly. 

This memorial was written by MOL team member Melissa Kornfeld with information from reporting by Kassie Simmons of WOAY News and Emily Allen of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Original artwork by MOL team member EJ Joyner.