Michael was born May 31, 1958, in Salisbury, NC and died in Charlotte, January 3, 2026, at the age of 67. Michael was a son of the late Fred and Mildred Smith; brother to Patricia Miller, Fred "Buddy" Smith (Anne) and Barbara Smith (Phil); , uncle to Jennifer Baucom (Patricia) and Michael Smith and Kathryn Moses (Buddy); father to Christopher Smith (Nicole), Taylor Smith and Graham Smith; husband to Rebecca “Kitty” Smith; and grandfather to Madeline Smith and James ‘Smith (Chris).

He was the funniest man on earth to his three children. He was personal and made lasting impressions. It didn’t matter if you were a cashier or a waiter at his favorite diner Café South. He was passionate about cooking, especially grilling in his earlier years which he passed down to his sons. He was also known for baking the best pecan pie, hands-down. Michael had a large personality, with fond memories of his mother commenting that when Michael left the room, all the energy was sucked out of the room with him.

Michael loved music: of all genres, especially Jazz during his later years. He loved the discovery of new artists and sharing those with others. He used to play music with friends, including playing the guitar, percussion and vocals.

Michael loved nature with awe and amazement. He would always want to capture pictures of the owls landing in a tree nearby, or the deer walking in the yard and even had a baby fawn try to follow him on a walk one day with Michael coaxing the small spotted fawn back to its mother looking from afar and he took a video of an inch worm traveling along the wooden floor of the deck and then set it to music.

The sunsets and sunrises at the beach were so special to him and he wanted to capture each one and put it to music to share with family members. Michael had a huge heart and loved those he cared about very deeply. His biggest joy was being with his grandchildren, Madeline and James, to whom he was known to them as Pop. Whenever he was with his grandchildren, his number one goal was to make them smile and he never failed.

Michael worked at Blackhawk Hardware prior to retiring this past summer. He worked in cabinet hardware and was very knowledgeable and helpful to coworkers and customers alike being that he had a background in this field. He made many friends there in his short tenure.

His loving memory will remain with his family and friends including his longest and dearest friend Andy Anderson (Patricia).

A celebration of life will be held at 1pm Saturday, April 4, 2026, at Hankins and Whittington Funeral Service, 1111 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203.

Donations may be made to the Wild Animal Sanctuary, 1946 County Road 53, Keenesburg, CO 80643.