David Smith

David Lyon Smith, age 84, of Kalamazoo, MI passed away June 24, 2017. Dave was born February 7, 1933 in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, the son of Peter and Jessie (Penny) Smith. During the Korean War, Dave served in the U.S. Army from 1952-54. On June 24, 1961, he was united in marriage to the former Norma F. Ortwig. Dave graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI, and he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Wayne State University. He later earned his PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he met Norma. As a graduate student, he was the recipient of the Kasimir Fajans Award for the most outstanding doctoral dissertation. Dave worked as a chemist at The Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo for his entire professional career and was the Director of Quality Assurance in the Control Division when he retired in 1994. He published numerous papers in scientific journals, was the recipient of the W.E. Upjohn Award, and was a member of the American Chemical Society, Alpha Chi Sigma, Phi Lambda Upsilon, and the Sigma Zi Honor Society. Dave enjoyed gardening, photography, camping (as long as the tent was big enough!), investing, and spending time with his family in all of their pursuits. He provided unwavering support and encouragement to his family, and he found great pleasure in mentoring others to succeed. As a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, he could always be counted on to be a smiling, proud participant in events important to each member of the family. Surviving are his loving wife of 56 years Norma F. Smith; his son and daughter-in-law James (Kimberly) Smith; his granddaughters Madison Smith and Lauren Smith; his brother Franklin (Freda) Smith; and many nieces and nephews. Dave was preceded in death by his parents and by a sister, Margaret Kittredge. In accordance with Dave's wishes, cremation has taken place. A Memorial Service to celebrate his life will be held at 11:00AM Thursday, June 29th at the First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo (321 W. South Street). Immediately following the service at the church, the family invites friends to join them for a time of food and fellowship. Memorials in Dave's memory may be directed to a team of neighborhood children participating in the 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer's in his honor (http://act.alz.org/goto/starleapers); directly to , Michigan Great Lakes Chapter, 564 S. Main St, Ste 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104; or to a . A private committal with full military honors will be held at a later date in Fort Custer National Cemetery.