Ronald Smith
Ron (Ronald Steve) Smith died March 1, 2024, from long term complications of prostate cancer.
He was born June 18, 1948 to Dewey D. Smith and Virginia (Jewell) Smith in Lakeview. The family lived in Howard City until his parents’ divorce. He then lived an idyllic boyhood in Rockford. He graduated from Rockford High School in 1966 and was a three-sport athlete. He excelled in basketball, track (pole vault), and (most notably) football as quarterback, earning combined double digit letters.
He was drafted into the Army in 1967 and served two years in intelligence in Korea during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in 1969. After the Army, he graduated from Ferris State in 1976 as a respiratory therapist and competed on their golf team. He later graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 1982. He was director of Respiratory Care at Ironwood and Pennock hospitals, with stints at Butterworth Hospital before and after – where he then retired in 2010. In between he dabbled in sales, finance and real estate.
He was an avid golfer and was well known on the “local tour” for his long drives on the long tees. He competed in the West Michigan amateur events for many years, but he loved and was most successful competing in scramble events in Michigan and Indiana. Most Fridays he could be found at the Scott Lake Scramble, usually with his stepdad, Stan. He was always one of the first on the course when the snow melted and one of the last one off as the snow flew, it didn’t matter if it was Saskatoon, L.E. Kaufman, or Lincoln Golf Club for the annual “Seaway” Best Ball. His dream was to attend the Masters and was fortunate to win their ticket lottery and attended in 2013 and 2017.
On April 10, 1999, he married his great love, Carla (Gianoli). They enjoyed nearly 25 years together, traveling to golf tournaments, pontooning, and especially many, many great times at the cabin in Steuben in the U.P., where he loved to hunt and bass fish on “our” Bass Lake. He found great joy in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a man of great faith and became a scholar of the word. He would invite you to seek out the Trinity in all matters, especially for comfort, hope and peace. He will be deeply missed by his wife and his children: daughter, Shawn, and sons: Robert Michael (Deanna) and Kurtis (Kim). The lights of his life were his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Stephanie (Hector Ortega) Karrar, Anthony (Katie Mezey) Karrar, Kara and Raelyn Smith, Madison Karrar and Mercedes Ortega. He is further survived by his brothers: Edd and Jerry; sister, Diane (Gordy) Allen; stepsister, Diana Barwacz; favorite nephew, Adam (Tina) Smith; nieces: Janet (John) Korcal and Dawn Smith; sisters-in law: Vanessa (Bob) McDonell, Lisa (Romey) Wagner and Andrea (Mike) Kulas and their families, and the mother of his children, Kathleen (Oberhofer) Smith.
Along with his parents and stepfather, Stanley Barwacz, he was preceded in death by a brother, Dewey, sisters-in-law, Carol and Klara, great-nephew Luey David, and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Agnes and Charles Gianoli.
A funeral service for Ron was held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at First Christian Reformed Church, 651 Martin Luther King Jr ST SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507. Ron’s family greeted relatives and friends from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 8, 2024, at the Pederson Funeral Home, 127 N. Monroe St., Rockford, MI 49341 and from 10 a.m. until the time of service Saturday at the church. Interment took place at Rockford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family hopes you would consider a donation to Stories in Grace (SING), Samaritan’s Carriage, or any local non-profit of your choice. The family welcomes messages and memories in their online guestbook at www.pedersfuneralhome.com.
Paid obituary 149674
