Robert William Smith

Robert William Smith (Bob), 87, passed away April 13,2023.  He was born February 28, 1936, the second son of Otto Lyman Smith and Edna Louise (Emrich) Smith.  His brothers are Lyman, Harold, and Kenny Smith.  Bob is the first of the brothers to pass away.

Bob was a graduate of Ben Davis High School (’54) where he met the love of his life, Joan Marie (Ritter) Smith. They were married on November 5, 1955. They had just celebrated their 66^th wedding anniversary when Joan passed away in January 2022.  It was difficult, but he did his best to go on without her. He was hard working and a loving man who gave everything to his family and friends. He rarely met a stranger and if he did, they weren’t a stranger for long.

Surviving Bob are his three children Robert Smith (Sandi), Pam England (Charlie) and Patty Mitchell (Tony). They were blessed with six grandchildren:  Stephanie (Rob) Shirley, Craig Smith, Allison (Dan) Dillard, Emily England, Megan (Nathan) Ashworth and Michael (Rayna) Caruso. The blessings continued with six great-grandchildren: Olivia Fallon Dillard, Pepper Owen, Lillian Shirley, Corbin Ashworth, Vivienne Shirley, Landon Caruso plus another little Caruso Boy that is due in August.

Bob started working in the heating and air conditioning business where he learned the art of working with sheet metal. After that, he went to work at Blackmore and Buckner Roofing and later was a part owner of R. Adams Roofing Company, which is where he retired. He enjoyed his work and met many lifelong friends throughout his years.

He spent a lot of time outdoors when he was young and this carried over into his adult life.  If you knew him, you would know he was an avid fisherman. He taught all his children and grandchildren how to fish and so many others as well. Many, many fish stories were told around the dinner table. He also enjoyed boating and teaching his children how to ski.

Bob was very family oriented. He worked extra jobs to make sure his family had everything they could ever want. He taught all of his kids how to shingle a roof.    He helped with the Boy Scout troop that Bob was in. He made sure that he could keep an eye on his children by having a home that was welcoming to all and everyone came. He put in a concrete basketball court so the neighborhood kids would come down and play. He built a large family room where many ping-pong and pool games were played, which he often joined in on. He also encouraged his children to follow their heart, to work hard and to be successful.

When they were both younger and healthier, Bob and Joan spent much of their time traveling and exploring various locations. They enjoyed Aruba, Hawaii and their cruise to Alaska along with many other destinations.  It seemed like Bob did anything he could do to make sure Joan was happy attending multiple Colts games, following IU basketball, traveling to Las Vegas to visit the slot machines and much more.

He was a rock for everyone and will be greatly missed.

Services are to be held at Flanner Buchanan – Floral Park, 425 N. Holt Rd., Indianapolis, IN. Visitation is on Thursday, April 20 from 4:00-8:00 pm and the funeral is on Friday, April 21 at 10:00 am.