Basil Smith

Smith, Basil 5/7/1927 - 12/27/2020 Allegan Basil Eugene Smith, 93, of Allegan, MI passed away Sunday, December 27, 2020 at Wings Home. Born May 7, 1927 in Allegan Township, he was the son of the late Eugene and Amy (Allen) Smith. Basil met the love of his life, Henrietta Alice Holthof as a young man and they wed on August 27, 1949. This past August they celebrated seventy-one years of marriage. In 1950 Basil and Henrietta purchased the farm where they have lived ever since. He had attended the Jewett School, Miner Lake School and then Allegan High School graduating in 1944. He was a well-known farmer in the area and was proud of his registered Holstein herd. He retired from milking cows at the age of 62 and continued to raise young cattle in addition to cash cropping, even prepping a field as recently as 2019. Basil's children and grandchildren showed many of his home raised dairy heifers over the years. He was a 4-H Dairy Leader and served on the Allegan County Farm Service Agency for twenty years. In 1976 Basil was honored as Dairyman of the Year by the Allegan County DHIA and had received many other awards over the years for his high-producing dairy cows. He had attended Michigan State University and did artificial breeding for twenty-two years. Basil had been to the Allegan County Fair every year until this year when it was canceled due to the pandemic. He served as a trustee for Allegan Township for sixteen years and also served on the Allegan Township Planning Commission. From 2000 - 2010, Basil drove cars for West Michigan Auto Auction. Basil and Henrietta were also longtime members of The First Reformed Church. Even with all of his accomplishments, he remained a quiet, humble man. He was a hardworking, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather whose greatest joy came from spending time with those he loved. In addition to his wife, Henrietta, Basil is survived by his four daughters, Janis (Harry) Chestnut, Debbie (Donald) Haas, Robin (Gary) Clark and Susan Smith Bunn, all of Allegan; 12 grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Chad Chestnut; sister and brother-in-law, Hilda and Clare Ashley; and brother and sister-in-law, Kenneth and Irene Smith. Basil was privately laid to rest in Hudson Corners Cemetery on Tuesday, December 29, 2020. A Celebration of Life is being planned for Spring 2021 and details will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Wings of Hope Hospice and Wings Home, 530 Linn Street, Allegan, MI 49010 are suggested.