Robert Bob Smith

Robert 'Bob' Smith September 29, 1929 - March 7, 2014

Robert "Bob" Smith, age 84, of Waseca, died peacefully on Friday, March 7, 2014, at the Colony Court Memory Care and Care Suites in Waseca.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Waseca with Father Gregory Leif officiating. Interment with military honors will be held at the Calvary Cemetery in Waseca.

Visitation will be held at the McRaith Funeral Home & Crematory of Waseca on Tuesday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and for one hour prior to services at the church on Wednesday.

Robert Howard, the only child of Howard and Martha (Buschow) Smith, was born on September 29, 1929 in Waterville. He attended school in Waseca and graduated from Waseca High School with the class of 1948. During his senior year Bob lettered in four sports; football, basketball, baseball and golf. Bob was also captain of the football team that went undefeated in 1948. Bob and his family owned horses and Bob enjoyed harness racing. Following high school, Bob enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Korean War. After being honorably discharged, he returned home and on June 16, 1952, was united in marriage to Marilyn Pogreba at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Waseca. They lived their entire married life in Waseca where Bob began working for the State Highway Department. He became the Waseca County Assistant Engineer in 1957. He truly enjoyed being involved in constructing and building many roads and bridges throughout Waseca County and appreciated the friendships he made with the men with whom he worked. Bob took great pleasure in spending time with his family; especially swimming, playing cards, golfing, and vacationing (including the infamous camping trip to South Dakota). After his retirement in 1984 Bob built a woodworking shop and spent many hours building furnishings for his own home and for those of his children and grandchildren. He loved having his grandchildren alongside him in his shop playing in the sawdust at his feet and building and painting little projects.

Bob was a longtime member of the Waseca Lakeside Country Club where he enjoyed

playing many rounds of golf with friends. He was also a former member of the VFW Sweet-Sommers Post 1642 and the American Legion Post 228, both in Waseca. Bob was a longtime member of the Church of the Sacred Heart.

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn of Waseca; his children, Jeffrey (Marva) Smith of Gillette, WY, Stephen (DeeAnn) Smith of Sandpoint, ID, Gen Smith of Rochester, Brian (Anne) Smith of Cheyenne, WY, Joel (Hollie) Smith of Good Thunder, and Mary (Scott) Bosacker of Lake Mills, IA; his grandchildren, Jami (Casey) Pelton, Margot Smith, Marcus Smith, Keelyn Smith, Mara Smith, Jackie Brannon, Dylan Smith, Christopher Smith, Genevieve Smith, Parker Smith, Katherine (Shane) Potratz and Kelly (David) Sherman; his great grandchildren, James, Jeffrey, Jacob and Catherine Pelton, Amelia and Milo Brannon, Ezekiel Potratz and Isaac and Charlotte Sherman; and by other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents.