Rev. Michael Davis Smith died on Thursday evening, January 15 2026, after a short hospital stay following a fall the week before.

Mike was born in Evanston, Illinois, on October 29, 1940, to Dorothy (Davis) and Paul Anderson Smith. When Mike was four, his parents, sister Patricia, and brother Paul (Kit) moved to Arizona. Mike graduated in 1958 from Scottsdale High, where he was the student body president.

Mike then attended Occidental College in Pasadena, CA, graduating in 1962. He enrolled in San Francisco Theological Seminary to study for the Presbyterian ministry, and married Patricia Pearson, also a SFTS student. They welcomed the births of Joel in 1966 and Sara in 1968.

Already a social justice advocate, Mike answered Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call in 1965 to join a protest march from Selma to Montgomery, AL He had an active political life and was a Eugene McCarthy delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

In the 1970s Mike began doing campus ministry — first at the University of Colorado in Boulder, then at Stout University in Menominee, WI, and at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

In 1978 Mike became an associate minister at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church. For the next decade he provided strong leadership to the Sanctuary Movement, Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona, the Council on Women and the Church of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and More Light Presbyterians (advocating ordination privileges to LGRTQ members).

Following three years of study, Mike was awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree from Dubuque Seminary.

Mike married Sylvia Brueck in 1985 and became a much-loved stepfather to Sylvia’s son, Stefan Brueck. In 1986 they moved to Grinnell, Iowa, where Mike became pastor of the Grinnell Presbyterian Church.

Mike had two passions in his “free” time: the U of Arizona men’s and women’s basketball, and duplicate bridge. His dear friend Ruth Houkum and Mike organized Tucson Charity Bridge and contributed over $500,000 to Tucson charities from fees for these games.

Mike was preceded in death by his sister Pat and brother Goeff, his son Joel, and his grandson Sebastian. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Thorson-Smith, his daughter Sara Smith, son-in-law John Cuneo, stepson Stefan Brueck, brother Paul, nephew Brian Smith, sisters-in-law Martha Smith and Sandi Schwarz, nephews and nieces, grand-nephews and nieces.

Memorial gifts may be made to St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church and Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona.