Michael W. Smith

It is with great sadness that we announce that Michael Walter Smith, 64, died Thursday, August 15, 2024 in Bear Lake, Michigan following a short, but courageous battle with cancer.Mike is survived by his wife of 40 years, Kelly (McCarthy) Smith; his children, Michele (Adam) Lubbert, Bryan (Kelly) Smith, Patrick (Mireya) Smith; his grandchildren Adeline, Liliana, Corinne, Watson and Louise; his father Edward Smith; his brother William (Janita) Smith; his sister Marcella Marcel; his mother-in-law Barbara McCarthy and many other family members and close friends.He is preceded in death by his mother Shirley Smith, father-in-law Ronald McCarthy, nephew Jamie Smith and niece Allison Smith.Mike was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois and is the son of Edward and Shirley (Rutz) Smith. After marrying Kelly in 1983, they settled in Lake Zurich, Illinois to raise their family and moved to Palatine, Illinois once their kids were grown.Directly after high school, Mike started working for his father at Termax Corporation. He then worked for Juno Lighting for 10 years before returning to Termax as a co-CEO with his brother Bill. Termax was one of Mike’s greatest joys and he bled Termax blue until his retirement in 2020.Always the entrepreneur, during the Automotive Recession of 2009, Mike started Mag Daddy. Mag Daddy continued to be his side-hustle until his three kids started with the business as well. Watching his kids work together at Mag Daddy brought him an immense sense of pride.Mike was always the life of the party and lived his life to the fullest with generosity, adventure, laughter and fun. You would often find Mike spending time people watching and entertaining guests in his favorite homes away from home, Bear Lake, Michigan and Freeport, Grand Bahama. He loved to travel all over the country and world with his wife Kelly and friends. Mike was an avid Harley-Davidson motorcycle rider and a great lover of music, especially 60s, 70s and 80s singer-songwriters and karaoke. He was the master at delegation and even at the end was able to convince his friends and family to plan an epic trip to the Grand Canyon for him.Mike had a huge heart and was very generous with his time and money. He was a mentor to many and saw things in people that they could not see in themselves. He passionately worked with many charities that were close to his heart, including City Kids Camp and the Grand Bahama Children’s Home.Mike was a living legend and will be greatly missed by many.Visitation to be held Wednesday, August 21 from 4 PM - 8 PM at Glueckert Funeral Home 1520 N Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL. Funeral mass to be held Thursday, August 22 at 10:30 AM at Saint Francis De Sales Catholic Church 135 S Buesching Rd, Lake Zurich, IL.There will be a luncheon following at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lake Zurich, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations to be made to the following charities:City Kids Camp Termax Charities: Checks to Termax Charities (1155 Rose Rd, Lake Zurich, IL 60047) or call Tom Boss (847-519-1500 ext. 226) for credit card infoGrand Bahama Children’s Home