Dick Smith was my grandfather.

Dick grew up a tough life as a farm hand during the Great Depression, was drafted into World War II, and in the first 20-years of life, faced more hardships than any person should.

After the war, he went on to have four kids, work as a butcher, and eventually a store manager for the Kroger Co. An active member of the community, Dick was always a friendly face to anyone who knew him.

To keep himself busy, Dick stayed busy in a garage workshop making furniture and crafts. He and I made my Pinewood Derby Racer, bedroom furniture, and a fully scaled model house, complete with electrical wiring for my high school physics class.

Grandpa and I after an evening fishing on Glen Lake in Empire, MI. Summer 1989.