Robert "Lowell" Smith

Robert “Lowell” Smith, age 86, passed peacefully at Bickford of Worthington on October 17, 2025 with his two daughters and son-in-law at his side. Preceded in death by his cherished wife Louise in 2018, he was in somewhat frail health but ultimately succumbed to an aggressive metastatic cancer a very short time after diagnosis.

Lowell was born in Ft. Worth, Texas on March 27, 1939. During his more than 30-year tenure with the Coca-Cola company, he moved from Texas to the Columbus area twice, permanently landing back in Ohio (much to Louise’s delight!) in 1986. 

Lowell loved woodworking, photography, fishing, and dining out. He and Louise enjoyed traveling together and spending time with friends. Lowell was happiest spending time with his grandchildren and was captivated by every baby he saw. He spent many hours volunteering his time at the Methodist Church in Houston and at the Worthington and Maple Grove Methodist churches in Columbus as well as the NNEMAP food pantry.

Lowell is survived by his two daughters, Lisa Zidar of Westerville and Patti Simmons of Worthington and treasured son-in-law Scott Simmons, along with grandchildren John Zidar (Sarah), Andrew Zidar (Bailey), and Kate Bennett (Frank), Fisher and Tate Simmons, as well as 3 great-grandchildren, Theo, Frankie, and Mavis.

There will be no funeral service. Visiting hours with the family will be held Sunday, October 26, 2025 at Schoedinger Funeral Home in Worthington from 12 noon to 3pm with time for reflection and memory sharing around 1:30pm. His ashes will be interred along with Louise’s in a joint plot at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Gahanna at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please direct any donations to NNEMAP food pantry.