Michael Arthur Smith

Michael Smith was a modest young man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

His parents were George and Patricia Smith. Michael was raised in Las Vegas, NV. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable.

Growing up in the Smith household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. Michael was raised with three siblings, an older sister and brother, Margaret and Jeremy, and a younger brother Zachary. Michael was involved in activities with his brothers and sister. Michael and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but he was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Michael was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. He developed a variety of interests and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore. Michael enjoyed soccer, baseball and loved paintball. In his spare time he liked Pokemon cards and raising his lizards.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Michael as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Miss Mary Lee Mott. Michael was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation.

College brought with it a new set of challenges. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Michael was able to focus on the task at hand. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Michael was able to read material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Michael well during his college experience. His favorite course was Japanese and he had recently started classes for computer programming.

Michael was fortunate to have close friends. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Michael was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Michael to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends often sought him out for advice. Special friends included Devon Shadel and Quinn Scott.

Michael was a good parent to his children, firm yet fair in his dealings and was blessed with two children, Rory and Galaxie.

Michael liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Michael loved watching Anime, playing video games and learning about guns. Michael was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Michael was baptized and confirmed Catholic at St. Joseph Husband of Mary Church here in Las Vegas. Though not a follower of organized religion, he believed in a higher power.

Michael was a lover of animals and enjoyed his pets. One of Michael’s favorites was Pepper his dog and Macca his pet lizard. He was best friends for 16 years with Pepper and 2 years with Macca. Current pets included dogs Cookie and Daisey.

Michael Arthur Smith passed away October 25, 2015 in Las Vegas, NV. He is survived by his Father and Mother, George and Patricia Smith, older sister Margaret, older brother Jeremy and younger brother Zachary. Services were held at Palm Mortuary on North Jones Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV. Michael was laid to rest in Palm NW Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.