Norman James Smith
Norman James Smith was born in Rogers City November 6, 1931, to Norman and Hazel Smith. Norman the younger was called Jimmy by his family members and Michigan friends. He graduated from Rogers City High School in 1950, earned a teaching certificate from Central Michigan College, and a master’s degree in school administration at Seattle Pacific University, but he considered his high school to be his true alma mater.
In 1959, after military service, he moved with his wife, Susan Winter Smith, and oldest daughter to Washington state, where he lived the remainder of his life. He and Susan bought a house near Seattle, where two more sons and a second daughter were welcomed to the Smith family (a third son died in 1968). Norman commenced working for the Seattle School District as a science teacher in 1959, retiring as an elementary principal in 1992.
After retirement, Norman and Susan traveled the world, and took long camping adventures closer to home. One of Norman’s favorite pastimes was to sit at a cabin he built in Central Washington, listening to the crickets and coyotes, and watching the stars. After Susan’s death in 2018, after 61 years of marriage and at the start of the pandemic, Norman moved to Ellensburg, Washington, to be close to his oldest daughter and the extended Ellensburg family. Norman loved music and would frequently sing snatches of song that were perfect for the person he was with or situation he was in. He also loved a good meal. His favorite dessert, and one he enjoyed even on his 93rd birthday, was buttermilk pie from a recipe his mother had cut out of a Rogers City newspaper. Although he lived most of his life in Washington state, he visited Michigan many times and never lost touch with family and close friends. Norman celebrated his 93rd birthday with his beloved family, and two days later he passed away and on to his next adventure, with his youngest daughter holding his hand. He was surrounded by family until the end, just as he had lived his life.
