- Date Of Birth: October 18, 1931
- Date Of Death: September 28, 2013
- State: Illinois
Robert Lee Smith Robert (Bob) Lee Smith passed away on September 28, 2013 at his home in O’Fallon, Illinois surrounded by his family following a long illness. Bob was born on October 18, 1931 and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He joined the Air Force in 1948 and served for 22 years. His first station after basic and technical training was McDill AFB, Florida (1948-1949) followed by Minot AFB, South Dakota (1949-1950), and Kadena AFB, Okinawa (1950-1952).
He was then sent to Turkey Hill Air Station, Illinois (1952-1953) where he met and married the love of his life, Mary Ann Zimmermann; then on to Manzano AFB, New Mexico where his daughters, LindaLee and Laura were born. While they lived in New Mexico, Bob’s mother, Bay, and brothers, Pete and Jack, and their wives joined them. Bob and Mary Ann and the girls were then transferred to Komaki AFB, Japan where they welcomed sons, Larry and then Mike, to the family. The crew was then moved to Kadena AFB, Okinawa for years 1957-1959. From Okinawa they were then stationed at Travis AFB, California. Bob’s mother, brothers and their families moved to California to once again unite the Smith clan.
In 1964, Bob was again sent back to Kadena AFB, Okinawa where Mary Ann and the kids soon joined him. They were there until 1968 when they were sent to Altus AFB, Oklahoma for two years. Bob retired from the Air Force in 1970 and moved his family to the Zimmermann family farm just outside Scott AFB, Illinois. While in Illinois, Bob worked at Scott/Bonsai Mobile Homes and then as a Maintenance Supervisor at Scott AFB. In 1975, Bob and most of the crew moved back to California where they lived in Concord. While in Concord, Bob worked at Gold Band Transmission with his brother, Pete, till the business closed in 1995 at which time Bob retired again. He then became very busy doing computer programming. In 2003, Bob, Mary Ann and Mike moved back to Illinois and have lived in O’Fallon since.
Throughout his life, Bob has loved woodworking, anything electronic/computer as well as “fixing and improving things”. He loved taking pictures of family and friends and listening to music. But above all he loved to talk to anyone and everyone!! Bob and Mary Ann were very active members of St. Agatha’s Catholic Church in Concord, California where Bob was a Fourth Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus. Bob was preceded in death by his father, Riley C. Smith in 1950; his youngest brother, Jack Albert Smith in 1970; his mother, Margaret (Bay) Ellen (nee Turner) Smith in 1995; sister-in-law, Edith Eleanor Smith (wife of Jack) Collachi in 2008; younger brother, Forrest (Pete) James Smith in 2009; and Dear Canine Pal, Megan in 2004. Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 60 ½ years, Mary Ann (nee Zimmermann) whom he married on December 19, 1952 at Scott AFB, Illinois.
He is survived by his four children and their spouses, LindaLee and Gary Hodges of O’Fallon, Illinois; Laura Jeanne and Chris Swank of Sonora, California; Lawrence James Z. and Teresa Smith of Ventura, California; and Michael David Smith of O’Fallon, Illinois. He is also survived by four grandchildren and their spouses, Jessica Lynn (Smith) and Chris Allen of Sacramento, California, Joshua Adam Z. Smith of Seattle, Washington, Cory Waylon and Alexandrea Swank of Incline Village, California and Brandi Lee (Hodges) and Eric Paul of St. Louis, Missouri. Bob has also been blessed with great grandchildren: Colton William Swank, Waylon Alexander Swank, Murphy Lawrence Allen and Baby Paul will soon join us. He is also survived by his younger brother’s, (Pete), wife Atha Kay Smith of Concord, California and several nieces and nephews.
