Allan “Al” Lee Smith of South Branch, passed away on April 15, 2023 at the age of 80.
He was born in Wayne, Michigan on January 30, 1943. It was in Garden City where he would grow up and wrench on his 1962 Pontiac Catalina 421 Super Duty race car. After selling the car, he regretted it, but felt immense pride upon seeing it featured in magazines and still functioning well.
He played many games of ice hockey growing up and continued to play the over 40 leagues as he got older. Playing hockey eventually turned into enthusiastically watching the Red Wings and Tiger baseball games.
Al retired after 30 years with the General Motors Spring and Bumper plant in Livonia where he was responsible for managing the shipping and receiving for the factory parts and tools. His years of working at the factory with tools and parts extended to his personal life, where he would routinely acquire a backup of what he was purchasing and say “always get two”. Friends and neighbors knew that they could count on him to borrow any part, screw, nut or bolt, but most importantly he knew exactly where to find it in his garage. He always had his hands in some sort of project whether it be fixing a fishing rod and reel, lawn mower for friends, or just piddling.
Al began hunting and fishing in his youth with getting his first deer in 1962. He cherished planning an annual fishing trip with his closest friend and arguing on who was going to drive the boat each year. He loved fishing for walleye and northern pike the most. Al found solace and happiness in nature, relishing the outdoors and taking pleasure in finding the next morel mushroom hotspot or building the next year’s deer blind. He will be missed by his ability of giving a unique name to every spot in the woods such as “Ground Blind #1”, “Whiskey Bottle” or “Trees for Tomorrow”.
Al was an avid golfer who enjoyed spending his free time with friends at the Wickert Hills golf league, where he played regularly.
Allan is survived by his loving son, Allan, his grandchildren, Noah and Hailey Smith and former wife Joyce. He was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin Smith and Catherine Smith (Alilunas) and his sister, Barbara Anderson. The family would like to say a special thank you to Hale Creek Manor for the wonderful care and respect they gave Allan.
Whenever Al left a voicemail message for someone, he always ended with the words: ‘Bye for Now’.
Bye for now
