Carole Smith, age 87, of Grand Rapids/Bellaire, formerly of Midland, passed away February 5, 2025, after a brief illness, surrounded by family. Carole was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and special friend to many. Carole was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and eventually moved to Lansing where she graduated from Sexton High School and attended Michigan State University for a year.
She married Craig Smith in 1960, they settled in Ann Arbor, and she raised 2 boys. They later moved to Midland where they spent many years. She worked for Michigan Bell and Wolverine Bank / Chemical Bank. She especially enjoyed her job as a bank teller serving many customers. She was active in the boys’ lives growing up acting as Cub Scout Leader, working the concession stand in Northeast Little League, and spending countless hours watching her sons play baseball. After retirement, she and Craig moved to their favorite place, the family cottage in Bellaire, MI. They moved to Grand Rapids in later years to be closer to family. Carole loved all games, crafts, and Bingo, and never met someone who wasn’t immediately referred to as a friend.
Carole embraced her world at Heather Hills, becoming the unofficial leader of Sit and Stitch. She was constantly asking her family for ideas on crafts and getting one of them to take her to Joanne Fabrics or Hobby Lobby so she could buy supplies for the group. She was a great lover of cards, particularly Hand and Foot, and had a standing 2:00 pm weekend date to play. Tuesday was also a full day with her hair appointment, Sit and Stitch and other activities so family visits revolved around her social schedule. Even when in the hospital, she made sure to get the card deck to her friends as she didn’t want them to miss the fun on her account.
She is preceded in death by Craig, her husband of 62 years. She is survived by sons, Brent (Shellie) Smith, Scott (Kolleen) Smith; grandchildren, Derek Smith (fiancé Jessica), Quinn (Nichole) Smith, Loren (Nate) Scholtz, and Connor Smith. The family would like to thank the staff at Village of Heather Hills for their care and support. A Celebration of Life will be held April 26, 2025, with a visitation at 1:30 pm followed by a service at 2:00 pm at Heather Hills, 1055 Forest Hill Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. Memorial donations in Carole’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
5 Responses
Carole’s sweet, positive, kindness, and caring gentle soul will be missed by everyone who had the good fortune to know her. My love and prayers go out to her family.
Our love and condolences to all in the family. Carole was an excellent communicator and what she communicated was joy. We will miss her and her generous smile at the Stine reunions.
Carole was a welcome site, pulling up to our Stine reunions. Always a smile with pleasant thoughts to all. Such a sweet person and our cousin. You will be missed dearly. Love, thoughts and prayers to your family.
From the twins in Indiana Lorraine & Duane. Our deepest condolences to your family. We hadn’t seen you in years, but as first cousins the love was always there. So sorry for your loss
When I think of Carole I will always remember her laugh.
It was infectious and made you smile. She was so interesting and had a lot of great stories about she and Craig, her life, and her family. She was so proud of all her family and loved talking about them. She also was a great listener. I will miss seeing and spending time with her.
Mel and I are sorry for your loss.