Michael Lynn Smith

Michael Lynn Smith, affectionately known by his grandkids as “Pop,” passed away on March 6, 2026, from complications due to Parkinson’s Disease. He was 83 years old and leaves behind a proud legacy of a productive and successful life as a husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, business partner, and friend to so many.

Mike was born in Paducah, Kentucky, in 1942 to Patricia Flonelle Smith and Charles Harrison Smith. Mike and his brother Charles relocated several times, but finally settled in Albany, Georgia, where he lived with his mother and his stepfather Nathan Smit (“Smitty”), a major in the Marines. In fact, Mike got his first taste of business success there at age 14 when he would gather pecans from the groves on the Marine base and sell them to local stores.

After high school, Mike went to Georgia Tech in a Co-Op program and studied Chemical Engineering. Mike excelled at Georgia Tech and even became president of his Kappa Sigma fraternity. In his senior year, his life would be forever changed when a fraternity brother set him up on a blind date with Sandra Young, whom he would marry a year later on September 13, 1966, at Wieuca Baptist Church in Atlanta. However, before they were married, Mike joined the Coast and Geodetic Survey, now part of the Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency, to fulfill his military obligation for the Vietnam War.

After getting married, Mike took his assignment on the USCGSS MacArthur, whose permanent home was in Hawaii. Mike became a “plank holder” during the ship’s trip there as he crossed the equator. He and Sandra lived there for almost a year in an apartment that faced Diamond Head before moving to Suitland, Maryland, and finally to Atlanta, Georgia, in Sherwood Forest, where they have lived for more than 50 years in the same house.

After his years of Service, Mike went back to Georgia Tech to earn a Masters in Industrial Engineering, which led to his first job as a CPA at Arthur Young and Company (now a part of Ernst & Young). After five years, Mike left to run a company called Andersen 2000—later renamed Andersen Instruments—, a company that he and a business partner bought and then sold to a British publicly held company. Mike then went to work with his brother Charles, who owned an affordable multifamily housing development company called Signature Management. Mike and his brother developed 19 individual apartment complexes with more than 4,000 total units, with their last being sold in the summer of 2025. Mike took great pride in the fact that he had a small hand in helping increase the quality and quantity of affordable housing throughout the state, even serving on the board of the Georgia Affordable Housing Coalition for over 20 years.

Mike loved to snow ski, scuba dive, and play golf. He was also able to travel to some of the best places on earth, including the Cotswolds, London, Paris, Istanbul, Venice, Santorini, Alaska, the Amalfi Coast, Portofino, Barcelona, Spain, Vancouver, Denmark, and numerous places in the U.S.

But Mike’s greatest achievement was his family, and he took every opportunity to dote on them. He was a loving husband to Sandra, showering her with love and affection for more than 59 years. He was as loving and caring as a father could be to his only daughter Lynn, in whom he instilled through his guidance and support a belief that she could do anything she wanted. And he never let her doubt herself. He was a supportive father-in-law, although he did tell Lynn’s husband Randy that he could not give her back when he asked if he could marry her! Finally, he was an adoring grandfather, traveling to every baseball, basketball, football, wrestling, and golf event that he could, in addition to every Grandparent’s Day. He also took them skiing almost every year so they could enjoy one of his beloved activities.

And to those who knew him best, he was one of the most intelligent, caring, patient, and friendliest people you will ever meet. He always made time for everyone and even drove elderly churchgoers to and from Peachtree Christian Church near their house so they could worship. He was also a great listener and a calming influence on everyone he came in contact with.

Mike leaves behind his beautiful wife Sandra Young Smith; his daughter Lynn Smith Guyton (Randy) and her children Michael Reeves Guyton, Taylor Smith Guyton (Parker), and Elizabeth Byers Guyton; his brother Charles H. Smith (Nancy) and his children Mike B. Smith, Leslie Smith Lowthers (Bruce), and Scott H. Smith; Robin Carmichael, a devoted and loving friend for more than 20 years; and his and Sandra’s cat, KitKat, who could always be found on his lap.

A celebration of life will be held at Ansley Golf Club on Sunday, March 29, from 2pm to 5pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mike’s name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, https://give.michaeljfox.org, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease.