Bob Smith, who served for a decade on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, including two years as board chair, died Friday, April 3, at age 63, his brother, former county Prosecutor Eric Smith, announced on social media.
Smith had fought a yearslong battle against cancer, his brother said in the post.
“We are deeply saddened, but trying to find comfort knowing he is no longer suffering and that he is home with Felisha,” Eric Smith said.
Felisha, Bob’s wife of 17 years, died in April 2024, according to her obituary.
Smith was elected to the board of commissioners in 2011 to serve as the representative for District 12. He took over as chair in 2017 and spent four years leading the governing body, according to his biography on the website for his company, Smith Estate Planning.
Prior to joining the board, Smith spent 25 years as fire marshal for the Clinton Township Fire Department, according to his biography. In 2009, he was elected to the Macomb County Charter Commission, which developed a new county charter after voters approved a ballot initiative establishing the position of county executive to run the county’s day-to-day operations.
Government service was a family affair for Smith. His father, Bob Smith Sr., was a longtime police chief in Clinton Township. His mother, Stella Smith, was a longtime employee of the Chippewa Valley Schools district. His brother, Eric, served as Macomb County prosecutor starting in 2005; In 2020, he resigned amid federal corruption charges.
Bob Smith was a graduate of Chippewa Valley High School, Central Michigan University and Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, according to his bio.
He and Felisha were lifelong Macomb County residents. Eric said the family is starting an online fundraiser to support Bob’s sons, Troy and Devon.
“Bobby was incredibly strong,” his brother said. “Especially in the last couple of years, his every thought and focus was on making sure his boys, Troy and Devon, were loved and taken care of. That was his heart, his purpose, his everything.”
Eric Smith said funeral arrangements were pending.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Bob Smith, former chair of Macomb County Board of Commissioners, dies
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
