Wayne "Dick" Richard Smith

Wayne Richard Smith, husband, father, lawyer, judge, teacher died May 4, 2025, of chronic kidney disease, surrounded by friends and family. He was born in 1934 and recently turned 91. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne A. and Frances Cooper Smith, and a son, Douglas Smith. He is survived by his wife of nearly 66 years, Carrie, son, Stephen (Susan) Smith and daughter, Rebecca (Tim) Tolbert, granddaughter, Amelia Smith, brother Thomas (Lesley) Smith, sister Carolyn (Grant) Hood, and a number of nieces and nephews. Smith, a graduate of the Petoskey High School Centennial class of 1952 holds two degrees from the University of Michigan, arts bachelor (A.B.) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) and has been retired from the practice of law since 2016.

During his career he has been a trial attorney with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office for three years, Emmet County Prosecuting Attorney for 6 years, District Judge for Emmet and Charlevoix Counties for four years and a lecturer for the University of Michigan graduate school of Business as well as an occasional adjunct instructor at North Central Michigan College.

He served on the NCMC Board for 18 years, was chair of the board for many of those years and one of the founders of the NCMC Foundation and its long-time chair.

He also served on the Community Mental Health Board for over 20 years and chaired it for a time as well as the Greenwood Cemetery Board upon which he served for 15 years, several as chair. He also served upon the Institutional Review Board of Northern Michigan Regional Hospital for 5 years.

Smith is also a fellow of the State Bar Foundation, an honor reserved for only 5% of total of active lawyers in the state and is a member of the Supreme Court Advocate’s Guild, limited to lawyers who have actually argued cases in the Supreme Court. He also was a hearing panelist for the Attorney Discipline Board for over 20 years as well as a member of the Judicial Qualifications Committee and Civil Liberties of the state bar. He also served a term as president of the Emmet-Charlevoix Bar Association.

The family will announce a reception in the coming months. Cremation has taken place.