Richard S. Smith

Richard “Smitty” Smith passed away peacefully on November 21st. Smitty was the son of the late Paul J. Smith and Helen Lahti, both of Negaunee. Smitty proudly served his country through three tours in Vietnam while in the Navy. Afterwards he attended NMU and received a BA in Mechanical Engineering. In Marquette, he worked for the Public Works Dept and at UPPCO. He and his wife, Deanna (D), purchased and ran the Walleye Lodge Resort on Lake Gogebic in Bergland, MI. Smitty enjoyed a good party and loved to host family reunions at his resort. He was a member of the Lake Gogebic & Western UP Chambers of Commerce and the Marquette and White Pine American Legions. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. Smitty married into the “Cootware Clan” and was loved by his extended family. Smitty & D had two children together, Jaclyn and Crystal. Smitty also had two older girls from a previous marriage, Bridgit (Chris) Adams & Jennifer (Chad) Kielas. D loved to tease Smitty about his “four girls,” but he got boys with his grandsons: Brendan, Connor, Liam, Van & Jax. Rich had one granddaughter, Samantha, who also made him proud. Smitty is survived by his brothers Paul and Don, his sisters Paulette Samson and Judy Frailing, his sister-in laws Susie (Neil) Stenfors, Paulette (Mike) Holmes, Donna (Greg) Stahlmann, Michelle (Bill) Schirtzinger, and his best friend Bob “Kaj” Katajamaki. Smitty was preceded in death by his siblings Patricia Zupancic, Susie Weber, Carol Rytkonen, his in-laws Donna and Jack Cootware and his brother-in-law John Cootware. In honor of Smitty, wear your jeans to the funeral and be ready to tell your favorite Smitty stories. In lieu of flowers (D’s allergic), please make a donation to the Fisher House in Richard’s name or send a non-flowering plant. Fisher House, www.fisherhousewi.org, offers temporary housing and meals for veterans’ families and we are forever thankful for how well they took care of us. Visitation will be held at the Erickson-Rochon & Nash Funeral Home in Iron Mountain, MI, on Saturday, December 11th from 1pm to 3pm with memorial service to follow at 3pm at the funeral home. Condolences to the family of Richard “Smitty” Smith may be expressed online at www.ernashfuneralhomes.com. The family has entrusted the Erickson-Rochon and Nash Funeral Home of Iron Mountain with the funeral arrangements.

Richard S. Smith

August 25, 1948 - November 21, 2021