Obituary: Charles Smith, 87, of Walhalla

Charles Smith

Charles J. Smith, 87, of Walhalla passed away on Wednesday morning, October 16, 2024.  Charles was born on March 17, 1937 in Portland, Mich., the son of John L. and Mary W. (Williams) Smith and graduated from Muskegon Catholic Central High School.  On June 8, 1957 he wed Janice VanRiper at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Muskegon and they celebrated 45 years together before Janice preceded him in death in 2002.

Charles was also preceded in death by his sons Jon and Stephen; his parents John and Mary Smith; and his siblings Alice Rooney, Joan Hodetts, Carrol Hock, and John Smith.

Charles worked at Muskegon Sealed Power Foundry, before returning to his career with the railroad where he worked for Chessie Systems, first in the car department, then working his way up to manager of engineering for a large portion of Michigan and later as road master for mid-to-northwestern Michigan where he retired in 1996.  In his retirement, Charles enjoyed watching NASCAR, visiting the casino with friends, coin collecting, and his favorite role of “Mr. Fixit” for his family and neighbors.  Charles was always willing to help out whenever someone called his name.

Charles will be greatly missed by his children Craig Smith of Midlothian, Va., Paula (Richard) Endres of Rockford, AnnMarie (Walter) Wobig of Chiefland, Fla., Charles G. Smith of East Haven, Conn.; his daughter-in-law Rosemary Smith of Sand Lake; 13 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren; his siblings Marlene Corey of Ludington, Gary (Donna) Smith of Howard City, Marilyn (Daniel) Shinaver of Portland, Beverly (Michael) Hicks of Columbia, Tenn., MaryEllen (Douglas) VanderStelt and Deb (Charles) DeGraaf all of White Cloud; his dear friend and neighbor Martha Ely; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and great friends.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 18 at Wyman Funeral & Cremation Services in Scottville with graveside services to be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning at Sunrise Memorial Gardens in Muskegon.  Those who wish to remember Charles with a memorial donation are asked to please consider the American Cancer Society, or the Corewell Health Ludington Cardiac Rehab Unit.

Please visit Charles memory page at www.wymanfuneralservice.com to share a memory of tribute of Charles for his family.