Gene M. Smith

Gene Maynard Smith, age 98, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away on July 24, 2026.

Born October 23, 1927, to Kelsey and Clara Smith in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Gene was a U.S. Army veteran who served in World War II during the occupation of Korea and Japan.  While overseas he witnessed the ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and saw duty as a rifleman and machine gunner in his battalion at the end of the war.

Following military service, Gene enrolled at Western Michigan University where he met his wife, Donna Sumrill.  The couple graduated together in 1953 and were married on campus the next day.  They moved to Grand Rapids where both taught in the local school system.

Gene spent most of his 37.5 year career as a professor at Grand Rapids Junior College where, in 1977, he received international honors for merit teaching from the National Council for Geographic Education and was noted for his expertise on the National Parks system. Gene held graduate degrees from the National University of Mexico and the University of Michigan.

Gene and his wife were enthusiastic travelers, and their journeys took them to Africa, Europe, South America, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.  They were eager downhill skiers and spent many winters in the mountains in the U.S., as well as remote parts of Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand.  Gene was also an expert gem cutter and an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing.

He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Donna (Sumrill) Smith; daughters Cynthia Maddox (Andy) and Julie Cook (Steve); grandchildren Scott VanDyke (Sarah), Audrey Valley (Joel), Kristen Burt (Brian), Kayla Majewski (Jeremy), and Kevin Cook (Destiny); and great grandchildren, Alyssa, Daylen, Royal, Teig, Winnie, Emma, Virginia, Roslyn, Arlo, Harrison, Emery, and Laken.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 21, at Cascade Cemetery at 7200 30th Street.

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