A beloved member of the community was honored on Monday at Food City as the organization held a special event for the release of Beauty of 3/Pinnacle VIEW Magazine. The publication was owned and operated by Ronny Smith, who passed away April.

The public was invited to celebrate Smith’s legacy.

“I am so excited to see each of you here today. Thank you for joining me, Ronny’s sisters Susie Howard and Jacquetta Ayers and our host Richard Smith as we celebrate Ronny’s legacy to the people of the tri-state,” said Ronny’s wife Elayne Smith during the event. “As you know, Ronny loved living here in what we call the beauty of three — Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

“He enjoyed sharing stories about the Cumberland Gap and Daniel Boone, exploring the beauty of the area, and photographing our amazing seasonal landscapes. Ronny would often say ‘we are so blessed to live in such a beautiful and historical place.’”

Smith went on to say that her and Ronny started the publication with hopes that the tri-state community would rediscover the beauty of their mountain heritage. They wanted to celebrate all of the positives the area had to offer.

“We created beautyof3.com so the rest of the world could see our beauty and uniqueness and want to come visit our beautiful mountain home,” said Smith. “Today, we are celebrating Ronny’s Beauty of 3 legacy. Because of you and many others who couldn’t be here today…this magazine will continue to stir the hearts of the people of Appalachia and beyond.”

According to the Creech Funeral Home obituary, Smith was also a park ranger at the Cumberland Gap National Park and would volunteer at Middlesboro ARH with his photography skills. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing.