- Date Of Birth: April 17, 1927
- Date Of Death: March 31, 2009
- State: Michigan
SMITH, James Stewart Formerly of Portage, MI James Stewart Smith, Illustrious 33° Mason died March 31, 2009 following a lengthy illness. Born April 17, 1927 to Marion Joss and Percy Smith of Comstock, Jim was a Husband, Father and Masonic Brother to many. He was a graduate of Comstock High School, Western Michigan University where he ran track and still holds several records; and received a Masters in Education; attended Michigan State University and M.I.T. Jim served in the U.S. Army where he was assigned to the “A” Bomb Project.
He was a member of the NRA, AARP and Michigan Retired Teacher’s Association. As Chairman of the Milk Fund Program for Kalamazoo County, he took great pleasure in working to award students the opportunity to attend the world renowned Globetrotters Basketball Games. Summer months for almost 50 years were spent at the family cottage near Irons where he took great pleasure fishing, hunting and playing kick-the-can with his family.
The rest of the year, Jim’s love and devotion was to the Masonic Lodge as a Member of the Masonic Retiree’s Club of the Kalamazoo Area, Portage-Brady Masonic Lodge #340 – twice Past Master; AASR, Valley of Grand Rapids, – past Most Wise Master; AASR, Valley of Traverse City, Commandery Marshall No. 017, Knights Templar; Shrine Lodge and Order of Tall Cedars of Lebanon. Jim Smith leaves behind his wife, Shirley Rands; daughter, Jaryl Day and her “girls”, Teena and Betsy, all of Marshall; son, Craig Smith, his wife, Jeanine and children Monica and Benjamin, of Battle Creek; and sister, A. Jean Smith, of Kalamazoo. Preceding him in death November of 2008 was his son-in-law, Dick Day; and his parents in 1960.
