ADDISON TWP. – The unofficial mayor of Lakeville is gone, but he will most certainly not be forgotten.
Robert Little Smith (Bob to his friends, which was practically everyone) passed away on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016. He was 98 years old.

“He always had his finger on the pulse of what was going on in this community,” said Addison Township Supervisor Bruce Pearson.
“If you needed to know something, he could tell you the history of it. He had a wealth of knowledge about Addison Township. He could always tell you why that came about or why it didn’t come about or that they tried that once before.”
For many years, Smith was quite the popular fella in little Lakeville. He always had a big smile on his face and he absolutely loved to chat with everyone he encountered about anything and everything, from local politics and the weather to people’s families and tales of the good old days.
“His life stories enriched us all,” said Addison Township Clerk Pauline Bennett.
Smith never failed to lighten the mood of those around him with his old-fashioned charm, sharp wit and gentle demeanor. He was quick to offer praise and never at a loss for a kind word, qualities that always made people feel at ease around him. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word and did not appear to have a mean bone in his body.
“He always would take the time to check up on my family and invite us to his church,” Bennett said.
“He always took an interest in people,” Pearson said. “He always wanted to know how they were doing and kept abreast of what was going on in the neighborhood.”
On the occasion of his 95th birthday in 2013, Smith shared with the Leader that he lived by a very simple philosophy – “respect people and be nice to them.”
“Everybody wants to be respected and they want to know that somebody likes them,” he said.
Although Smith was a genuine nice guy, he wasn’t a pushover. If he disagreed with something, he wasn’t afraid to speak up and offer his opinion, whether he was attending a township board meeting or sitting in church on Sunday.
“He was most respected for telling it like it is,” Bennett said.
Smith had lived in Lakeville since 1969 and endeared himself to everyone he met.
On a daily basis, he would make his rounds, visiting places like the township hall and public library, and chatting with local politicians, municipal employees and visitors alike.
“He used to come in every day to check on us. It was like clockwork,” Pearson said. “You’d see him walking all over the place. He walked miles upon miles. He was a walker all the way up until the last couple years of his life.”
“I miss his early morning visits (to the township hall) with a word or two about life,” said Bennett, who called Smith “a very wise man.”
Smith had the unique ability to strike up a conversation with anyone and talk to strangers like he’d known them for years.
Because of his friendliness and outgoing personality, people dubbed him the unofficial mayor of Lakeville.
Being an unincorporated village, Lakeville has no elected or formal leadership, unlike Leonard, for example. But if elections had ever been held in Lakeville, there’s no doubt Smith would have won by a landslide every time.
As Smith got older, the community basically adopted him. They cared for him and saw to his needs.
“It was our job to look after him in his later years and it was a pleasure,” Pearson said. “He was a part of the township fabric.”
Smith was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on March 16, 1918. He graduated from the high school there in 1935, then took a two-year course at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, part of Massachusetts State College. He graduated in 1937.
He served as herdsman at several dairy farms in New England before moving to Evart, Michigan in 1941. He managed the Buckhorn Ranch, owned by his longtime associate, Paul Travis. Michigan would become his permanent home.
1941 was also a significant year for Smith because on July 2, he married Lois V. Wood, his college sweetheart. They were together for many wonderful years until she passed away in 1989.
Smith spent a few years in Evart before moving to Addison Township in 1945 to manage Travis Farms on Mack Rd. He worked there for 24 years, helping raise 1,000 ewes and lambs, plus 20,000 turkeys. He watched the farm grow from 300 to 820 acres. As farm manager, he served as the principal sales person for Travis Tender Turkeys.
When the farm was sold in 1969, Smith and his wife settled in Lakeville. He became an agent for Farm Bureau Insurance and continued to sell turkeys through Lowenstein Poultry in Taylor. In 1983, Smith retired from the insurance game, but kept selling turkeys for another 20 years.
Over the years, Smith was very involved in the community.
He was a dedicated member and supporter of Lakeville United Methodist Church. He attended countless township board meetings and even ran for supervisor in 1970. Smith spent 18 years on the township fire board and was a past master of the Romeo Masonic Lodge No. 41.
In 2005, Smith was named grand marshal of the annual Strawberry Festival parade in Leonard.
Smith was preceded in death by his wife Lois, his daughter Ruth, and his son David, sister Ruth Colprit, sister-in-law Beatrice Wood and companion Arlene Wilkins.

He will be missed by his son Robert and daughter-in-law Suzanne of Madison, Wisconsin, daughter Judy and son-in-law Dean Elkins of Lapeer, son-in-law James Florey of Ann Arbor, grandchildren Rebecca (Aaron) Campbell, Benjamin Smith (Jenny Loertscher), Lia Florey (Larico Harley), Britt (Dan) Riedler, great-grandchildren Andy, Bennett, Ian, Oscar, Rico, Ryan and Zili, his beloved “adopted” family of the late Arlene Wikins, Joy Grieco, Brad, Kara, Jacob and Mark Sears, and Kyle, Laura, Charlotte and Anna Matthews.
A memorial service was held Aug. 19 at Roth-Muir Funeral Home in Romeo.
Smith was buried in Lakeville Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Baldwin Center (212 Baldwin Rd., Pontiac MI 48342) and the Michigan Nature Association (2310 Science Parkway, Suite 100, Okemos, MI 48864).
“He will live (on) in all of our memories,” Bennett said.