Louis A. “Lou” Smith, a pillar of the legal community and beloved family man, passed away at the age of 85 on August 13, 2024, in Ocean Ridge, Florida. Born in Lansing, Michigan, on April 22, 1939, Lou was the son of John Paul and Marjorie Christmas Smith, who both preceded him in death. Raised in the faith of the Catholic Church, Lou’s life was an embodiment of ethical integrity and devotion to service.
He grew up in Lansing, Michigan. His father worked at the Oldsmobile Plant to provide for the family and put his children, Louis and Jane who survives him, through Catholic school. Lou graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Lansing, Michigan as class president. Immediately following graduation, he volunteered to join the U. S. Army and spent six months at Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri. He honorably served as a member of the United States Army Reserves for the next eight years and was a lifetime patriot. Every sport coat he owned was adorned with an American flag pin in its lapel.
Following his Honorable Discharge, he worked 3 p.m. to midnight on the assembly line at the Oldsmobile Plant in Lansing while attending Michigan State University. He graduated cum laude in three years and enrolled at the University of Michigan Law School where he met the love of his life Karen Emens. They married in 1966 and began an amazing life together.
