Lee Wayne Smith, age 85, of Ithaca, Michigan passed away Monday, January 7, 2013, surrounded by family at Woodland Hospice in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
Funeral Services will be held at Ithaca First Presbyterian Church on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. Pastor Joseph Novak will officiate. Burial will be at the Ithaca Cemetery, Ithaca, Michigan. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. at Smith Family Funeral Homes, with a Masonic memorial service at 7 p.m.
Lee was born in Gros Cap, Michigan on September 4, 1927, the son of Cecil E. and Anna E. (Trerice) Smith. He attended LaSalle High School in St. Ignace, Michigan and was stationed in Hawaii with the U.S. Navy during World War II. Lee married Bonnie Jean Glazier on December 21, 1947 in Lansing, Michigan. They have four daughters.
Lee was an elder at Ithaca First Presbyterian Church and a member of the Ithaca Lions Club. He became a Master Mason in 1953 through Masonic Lodge 123. He was active in the Alma Chapter of the Eastern Star Lodge 43, and a member of the VFW. He served on the Patient Equipment Locker board, the Gratiot Ag Expo Fair board, and sat on the Gratiot County Parks and Recreation Commission. Lee was a big fan of Ithaca High Schools sports. He loved woodworking, deer hunting and camping. He retired from the State of Michigan in 1984 as a soils and engineering technician. He spent time writing poetry, loved being with his grandchildren, and singing in the church choir.
He is survived by his wife and children: Sharon and Jim Froom of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Cecille and Jim Bowen of Ithaca, Michigan; Yvonne and Rod Sherman of Cass City, Michigan; and Valorie and Gary Melow of Ithaca, Michigan. Also, grandchildren Becky and Randy Holt of Devon, Pennsylvania; Pamela and Randy Whitcomb of Buffalo, Minnesota; Edward Froom and Heather Van Pelt of Pontiac, Michigan; Kathryn To of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Joseph and Andrea Bowen of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan; Christopher and Cara Bowen of Holland, Michigan; Ross and Amanda Sherman of Cincinnati, Ohio; Leah and Kenneth Renner of Cincinnati, Ohio; Andrew Melow of Ferndale, Michigan; and Anna Melow of Ithaca, Michigan. He is also survived by great grandchildren Emma and Naomi Holt, Jeffrey Whitcomb, Cayden and Parker Froom, Ethan, Alec and Lauren To; Matilda Bowen, and Elijah Renner; and siblings Dorothy Berson, Arden Smith, Marion Fenlon, Vernor Smith and Norman Smith. Lee was preceded in death by his parents and six brothers.
Memorials may be made to Gratiot County Commission on Aging, Ithaca First Presbyterian Church or the Ithaca Senior Activity Center. Online condolences can be sent to www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com
The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes Ithaca, Michigan.
Read Lee Smith 's Obituary and Guestbook on smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com.