Robert William Smith

Robert W. Smith, a partner in a Harford County family logging business and a decorated World War II veteran who landed at Normandy on D-Day, died of heart failure Saturday at his Bel Air home. He was 97.

Born in Baltimore and raised on a family farm in Creswell in Harford County, he was the son of Frederick Nelson Smith and Anne R. Callahan. He was a 1937 graduate of St. Stephen’s School in Bradshaw and then joined his family’s logging, farming and cannery business. They canned corn and tomatoes and cut down trees they delivered to a rail siding at Belcamp.

Mr. Smith reported for military service at Fort Meade on Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the attack at Pearl Harbor. He trained for more than a year in Georgia and became a forward observer attached to the 44th Field Artillery Battalion. After crossing the Atlantic on a troopship, he arrived in England and landed on Utah Beach on the morning of D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was a field artillery spotter and worked from a jeep with a driver, radio operator and an officer. He fought in the battles of Cherbourg and Saint-Lo and at Hurtgen Forest on the Belgian-German border. He was among the first Americans to enter Paris after its liberation. He received a battlefield commission, signed by General George S. Patton, in January 1945 that promoted him to lieutenant Jan. 13, 1945. Mr. Smith was awarded the Silver Star with an Oak Leaf Cluster and the Bronze Star.

“He was a humble, quiet guy but was one of the truest American heroes I’ve ever met,” said his nephew, Alexius Bishop. “He generally never spoke of his time in the service. If he did, it was only to other veterans.”

According to Mr. Smith’s military record, he successfully established a communications point outside an airport at Gonneville, France. His citation said, “With complete disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Smith and another soldier alternated in carrying a radio … in spite of its bulk and a six-foot aerial… to establish” the post. On another occasion, he defended a command headquarters under siege by the enemy. A German soldier had entered the structure and was attempting to destroy it. “Lieutenant Smith crawled to a front window of an adjoining room, accurately hurled a grenade alongside the building and killed the enemy rocket gunner before he could fire again,” said his citation. The award also said, “Lieutenant Smith’s courage, leadership and resourcefulness strongly influenced the success of the regiment’s operations and are in accord with the finest traditions of the military.”

After the war, he returned to Harford County and in 1947 met his future wife, Patricia Dyer, while on a boating date at the Bush River Yacht Club. He met her through his brother, who later married her sister. He worked alongside his brother, Frederick Nelson Smith, at Creswell and later in Bel Air. They sold timber as pilings for maritime work and wood poles for copper smelting. They also sold poplar and oak for furniture.

Mr. Smith retired more than 30 years ago and assisted in the family business for another decade. He drove a logging truck until he was 78.
He was past commander of Battery “B” 110th Field Artillery National Guard in Bel Air and past commander of American Legion Post 39 of Bel Air. He also was past president of the Maryland Golf and Country Club and a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Bel Air. He also sat on the Bel Air Zoning Board.

His son, Robert W. “Jay” Smith Jr. said, “My father was a determined, principled, humble and thoughtful person who was beloved and respected by everyone. He accepted responsibilities willingly, was always ready to offer a helping hand to others, and brought out the best in people who interacted with him.”
Mr. Smith enjoyed Harford County history. He also played bridge, gin rummy and pitch with friends daily.

He received an Army Artillery Association’s Order of Saint Barbara medal at the Aberdeen Proving Ground earlier this year. On the 100th anniversary of the Aberdeen Test Center, he gave an order to fire arms at an event attended by 4,000 people. “He was a dedicated and brave young man,” said a friend, John J. McCarthy, a Bel Air resident. “He was mild-mannered and unassuming. You don’t need to wear your bravery on your sleeve, and he did not.”

In addition to his son Robert W. Smith Jr. (Sharon), Mr. Smith is survived by another son, Gregory Smith (Virginia), of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a daughter, Abigail E. Smith (John F. Shettle), of Baltimore, Maryland, his son-in-law Robert M. Wagner, ten grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, Lilly Egan Smith, and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was predeceased by his wife and by his daughter, Colleen Wagner Smith. He was also predeceased by one brother and four sisters.