Michael Jerome Smith

Dr. Smith is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Catherine Cooper Smith, and his two cherished daughters, Dominique Blandine Smith and Gina Marie Smith. He is preceded in death by his parents, Michael Cole Smith and Ruth Blandine Lake Smith, and one sister, Monica Blandine Smith.

Dr. Smith was born in Harlem, New York and later spent his adolescence in Long Island, New York. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduating in 1959 with a degree in chemical engineering. Upon graduation from MIT, Dr. Smith received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Chemical Corps, and was dispatched to Alabama to serve active duty. There, he established life-long friendships that would lead to the introduction to his future wife, Catherine. In 1962, Dr. Smith enrolled in Drexel University, earning a master's degree in science in 1964. That same year he married Catherine. In 1969, Dr. Smith earned his doctorate in physics at Howard University. He was a member of the National Physics Honor Society. After completing a post-graduate fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Smith returned to the East Coast with his wife and two young daughters, settling in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he would remain until his death. Dr. Smith retired in 1997 from the Department of Army, Army Research Laboratory.

In his retirement, Dr. Smith enjoyed traveling the world with his wife. He was also an avid reader and writer - completing a short story of his life and a detailed written history of his family's origins. His other hobbies included carpentry and woodwork. Dr. Smith was a doting family man who relished family dinners and dispensing advice to his two daughters and friends, and adored being a grandfather to his furry four-legged grand-dog, Zoe. Dr. Smith was known for his kindness, repertoire of "Dad Jokes" and love of learning.

The family will hold a memorial service in his honor later this fall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name can be made to the International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF), 6144 Clark Center Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34238, (iwmf.givecloud.co/Donate) or the Equal Justice Initiative, 122 Commerce Street, Montgomery, AL 36104,

(donatenow.networkforgood.org/eji).