Obituary of Robert A. Smith

Robert A. Smith (Bob) passed away June 11, 2021. Robert was born June 26, 1965 to Robert and Frances Smith. Bob is preceded in death by his father Robert A. Smith. He is survived by his mother Frances A. Smith, His son Corey, Daughters Erin and Crystal, his siblings Wendy and Ron (Kate), niece Megan, nephews Nicholas, Isaac and Silas. His greatest accomplishment and joy was in being a father. Bob was a lifelong resident of the Town of Durham, residing most of his life in the village of Oak Hill. He enjoyed the challenge of carpentry, restoring older buildings to their former purpose while maintaining the architecture of the time period. He would spend many hours patiently rebuilding a rock foundation, rather than change it out and replace it with a newer approach. His friends and family knew that if they had a challenging carpentry predicament, they could call on him for advice and a helping hand. Bob had a love for skiing and old cars and most nights could be found working in his garage - this often ended as a gathering place, with friends stopping by routinely. He would walk and fish the Catskill Creek spending hours fishing and enjoying the outdoors. He found peace in quietly caring for the grounds of the Lutheran church where his paternal grandmother was a lifelong member. Graveside service will be conducted on Friday, June 18 at 11:00 am at the Oak Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Durham Ambulance, P.O. Box 99, East Durham, NY 12423 will be appreciated. Condolence page is available at ajcunninghamfh.com.