Robert "Bobby" Smith

Robert “Bobby” Smith, 56, of Catawba Island passed away on March 14, 2022 after a hard fought 16 month battle with cancer.

Bobby was born to Judy and Willie Smith on May 14, 1965 in Port Clinton where he grew up. He was the middle child of three brothers. Bobby graduated from Port Clinton High School in 1983 where he played football, baseball, and wrestled. He also graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Bobby spent most of his career working at Fenner Dunlop, where he worked his way up from a floor sweeper at age 19 to a Sales Manager. After Fenner Dunlop, he worked for several years at Crown Products and Services as a Sales Manager and then finished his career at Skipper Buds as a boat salesman - his close-to-home “dream job” that he wished he had more time in.

Bobby was the definition of a charismatic extrovert… he could talk to anyone about anything and he was usually pretty universally liked by those who met him. He loved the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians, fishing with his son and neighbors, boat rides with his wife, scratch-off lottery tickets, Christmas lights, late night milk and pretzels, cooking on the grill, watching prank shows and pranking loved ones, and his mom’s mashed potatoes and potato salad (but only on her good cooking days).

Family was everything to Bobby. In July of 1989, he married his devoted wife, Shelley and they bought a house in Catawba where they built their life. Bobby and Shelley had two children - a daughter, Nicole, and a son, Noah. In 2019, Bobby became “Grandpa Bobob” to his “favorite person in the world,” his granddaughter, Mila. He also cherished his close relationships with his brothers, parents, in-laws, son-in-law, neighbors, and friends. He was a great husband, dad, grandpa, son, brother, and friend that will be missed by so many.

A central piece of Bobby’s life story is his lifelong struggle with addiction. Bobby became sober for the final time in January 2020. He attended AA - First Thing’s First in Catawba where he was supported in his sobriety and made irreplaceable friends that were like family. Through AA, Bobby found and built a relationship with God. He immersed himself in learning the Word of the Bible and never wavered in his faith despite all the challenges and pain cancer put in his path. Bobby attended The Chapel in Port Clinton and was baptized on March 8, 2021 by Pastor Ryan Morter, who guided him on his journey of faith and became a beloved friend. He shared stories of addiction and faith through his “Garage Talks with Bob” which meant so much to him and brought him joy in a difficult season. He wanted to continue to share his journey if that meant he could help just one person on their own journey to sobriety and a relationship with God.

Bobby is survived by his wife of 32 years, Shelley Smith; his daughter Nicole (Mike) Marks, his son Noah Smith; his granddaughter Mila Marks; his parents Judy and Willie Smith; his brothers Mike (Mars) Smith and Steve (Brenda) Smith; his in-laws Dick and Nancy O’Neal; four nieces and nephews; many close friends; and his least favorite pet of all time, Phoebe. He was preceded in death by his grandparents.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2022, from 2-4 and 6-8pm at the Gerner-Wolf-Walker Funeral Home, 216 Washington Street, Port Clinton, Ohio. Additional visitation will be held at The Chapel, Port Clinton Campus, 4650 E. Port Clinton Eastern Road, Port Clinton, Ohio on Friday, March 18, 2022 from 9:30 am until Funeral Services at 10:30 am with Pastor Ryan Morter officiating. Burial will follow in Catawba Island Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Chapel in Port Clinton, AA - First Thing’s First Catawba, or Stein Hospice. Bobby’s family would like to say a special thank you to all of the nurses at Stein Hospice for taking great care of Bobby in his final days, especially Denise, Me lissa, and Ross.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com