Robert William Smith

ROBERT WILLIAM SMITH

HORNELL-Robert William Smith, 49, of Hornell, died Friday (Aug. 6, 2010) at the V.A. Hospital in Charleston, S.C., after a brief illness. He went to the hospital after taking ill in Myrtle Beach, where he was on vacation with his father.
Bob was born on March 26, 1961, the son of William Jay Smith and Hildreth “Mickey” Mary Sharretts Smith.
Bob was a graduate of Hornell High School in 1980 where he participated in wrestling and junior and varsity football.
His vocation was cooking and he was very good at it. While in high school he cooked at the former Sambos (now Friendly’s) and at Camp Stella Maris at Conesus Lake.
In November of 1980 Bob enlisted in the Air Force. Basic training was at Lackland AFB in Texas. Graduating as a Food Service Specialist from his post basic training, he was assigned to Alaska and later reassigned to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was a member of the “Red Horse”, a rapid response team that provided field kitchens for overseas deployments, as a shift manager. In this position he traveled to a number of countries overseas on training missions. During his service he was awarded two medals, four ribbons, letters and certificates of commendation. He also took the NCO preparatory course.
Separated from service in Nov. 1984, Bob returned home, married and moved to Rochester where he worked for Serv-Rite as a shift manager at the Delco cafeteria, as a chef at Ozzies Resturant and at Kaufmann’s. Returning to Hornell he worked for a time at Kwik-Fill, Club 57 and Marino’s
Besides cooking, Bob was a carpenter helping Fran Marino renovate Marino’s the tanning salon building and other building projects.
Bob was always a hard worker, assigned a task, he would get it done quickly and efficiently. Time wasting was not in his makeup. If he finished before quitting time he would look to see what else needed doing and work on that task.
He was predeceased by his mother, Hildreth in 2001.
Bob is survived by his father, William; his former wife Diana McIntosh Hopson; his three wonderful children, Megan, Devon and Dustin Smith; his (separated) wife, Beth Kepner Smith and her children, Nichole (Mike) Jackson, Tylre Kepner and Seth Lincoln; his grand aunt, Neale Clifford and grand uncle Neil Sutfin; his brothers, Keith (Jennifer) Guthrie, Mark (Meghan) Smith; his sisters, Neale (Michael) Bacon and Hildreth Rose; his nieces and nephews, Zac and Kilauren Guthrie; Abbigail and Scott Smith; Joshua (Sima), Jacob (Lindsay), Benjamin and Patrick Bacon; Jessica, Eric, Elizabeth (Richard) Harris, Erin and Justine Rose; his grand nieces and nephews, Asha Bacon, Dalon Kemker, Isaiah, Taylor and Natalie Bacon; Logan and Lily Harris; Carson Polizzi and Bailey Jackson.
Calling hours are from 4-7 p.m. Friday (Aug. 20) at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell. Friends are invited to meet his family at St. Ann’s Church where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in his memory at 10 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 21). Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Dansville at the convenience of the family.
The family has requested no flowers and suggest contributions be made in Bob’s name to either the Hornell Area Humane Society, 7649 Industrial Parkway, Hornell, to St. Ann’s School Memorial Fund, 27 Erie Ave., Hornell or to MATCH in care of St. James Mercy Foundation, 411 Canisteo St., Hornell, NY 14843. Envelopes for memorial contributions will be available at the funeral home.

Subscribe to receive updates