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As received from the Memorial Chapel & Plowe Funeral Homes:
Darrell W. Smith, 83, a resident of Chassell passed away at home Friday evening June 4, 2021.
Darrell was born on July 31, 1937, in Long Beach, California to the late Joseph and Bethel Smith. He grew up in Marshall, MI. He graduated from Marshall High School in 1955. Darrell then chose to attend Michigan College of Mining and Technology (Michigan Tech) instead of pursuing a career in baseball. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He married the late Marilyn (Meese) Smith in 1958 and after graduation they moved to Pennsylvania for two years where he worked for Babcock and Wilcox. In 1961 they relocated to the Cleveland, Ohio area where he accepted a position as a senior metallurgical engineer for General Electric. During his employment with GE, he also attended Case Western Reserve University where he earned both a Master’s and Doctorate (PhD) in Metallurgical Engineering. In 1970 he accepted a teaching position in the Metallurgical Engineering Dept at Michigan Tech moved back up to Houghton and later Chassell. He retired from teaching at Michigan Tech in 1999. During his career Darrell was recognized with several honors including; Professor Emeritus, American Powder Metallurgy Institute Fellowship, American Society for Metals Fellowship, and Who’s Who in the World 1990. He was also a member of the local Elks.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Marilyn.
He is survived by his three children:
Mark (Vickie) Smith of Chassell
Barbara (John) DePuydt of Chassell and her children Brandon (Brooke) Roth with daughter Isla of Moscow, ID and Janelle (Caleb) Warren with daughters Ruby and Louisa of Woodinville, WA.
Paul Smith of Green Bay, WI and his children Danielle (Cole) Herning with son Asher of De Pere, WI and Travis (Melany) Smith with daughter Isadora of Westland, MI
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Keweenaw Spay Neuter Assistance Group, checks may be sent to:
KEWEENAW SPAY NEUTER ASSISTANCE GROUP
28928 Mud Lake Road
Lake Linden, MI 49945
To view Darrell’s obituary or to send condolences to the family please visit www.memorialchapel.net.
The Memorial Chapel & Plowe Funeral Home of Hancock is assisting the family with arrangements.
