WILMINGTON — Robert E. Smith Jr., 84, died Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017.
Bob was born at Carbondale, Penn., in 1933 to the late Robert E. Smith and Evelyn Stark Smith of Sidney, N.Y.
He is survived by his loving wife, Barbara, of the home; brother, Stark (Sheila) Smith of Binghamton, N.Y.; sister, Juel Luscomb of Sidney, N.Y.; daughters, Marcy Smith of East Syracuse, N.Y., and Betsy Smith of Beacon, N.Y.; sons, Robert Smith of Oneonta, N.Y., and Stephen (Sharon) Reynolds and Gregory (Jill) Reynolds, both of Texas; grandson and great-grandson; and many loving family and friends.
Bob attended Sidney Central School, class of 1951, and graduated from the New York State Ranger School in 1953. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and after infantry training, served in the Corp of Engineers as a topographic surveyor at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was an instructor at the Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Va., and map compilation specialist with the 29th Engineer Battalion in Japan.
In 1959, Bob graduated with bachelors degrees from the State University College of Forestry and Syracuse University. He earned masters degrees from these universities in 1960.
Bob worked as a soil scientist and forester with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. In 1965, he joined the faculty at SUNY Delhi College and established a Plant Science Department, where he directed the program and taught horticulture and conservation courses as associate professor until 1978.
Bob retired from the Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 1994, where he served as a forester working on natural resources inventory. He and his wife, Barbara, lived for 20 years at The Cape, a residential community near the city of Wilmington, N.C.
In addition to his lifelong interests in natural science, land improvement, real estate and teaching, Bob had great interest in writing. He was a prolific “letters to the editor” writer. He wrote essays on the environment, other political topics and cultural subjects, including a weekly column for a Carolina-Kure Beach newspaper under the byline “Sam Stark.” Later, he was a contributing editor with the Carolina Journal. His essays “by R.E. Smith Jr.” over several years appeared on the websites: opinioneditorials.com and americanthinker.com. He posted commentary on Squall Lines, a blog site of the John Locke Foundation. Bob had his own website he called State Lines by R.E. Smith Jr.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 12, at Immaculate Conception Church, Wilmington. A family graveside memorial service will be held in Sidney, N.Y., at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lower Cape Fear Hospice, or a charity of your choice.
Share online condolences with the family at andrewsmortuary.com.
