Robert Smith Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Robert Lowell Smith, age 77, passed away on April 4, 2016 in Austin, Texas. He was born on July 13, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Eugene and Myrtle Smith. He had a beloved big sister, Barbara Matson. He attended Milford High School and graduated from The University of Ohio with a B.S. degree in microbiology. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Rota, Spain where he served as an aviation physiologist. It was while in Rota that he met a beautiful local girl, Maria Pilar Falder who was working on the base. They were married on May 29, 1965. After Spain, Robert was then stationed first at the naval base in Pensacola, Florida and then at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida where he served with the Medical Services Corp. After leaving the Navy in 1968, he and Maria returned to Cincinnati where they raised their daughter, Melissa, born in 1969. Robert and Maria returned to Florida in 1987. Robert is remembered for his beautiful singing voice. He loved big band music, especially the tunes of Tommy Dorsey, since he, too, played the trombone. When visiting family he entertained the children with thrilling tales of the goony bird and all the neighbor kids would come to ask if Uncle Bob could come out and to play hide and seek. He also loved to travel and took his family on epic car trips around the U.S.A. and a grand tour of Mexico and Guatemala. His last big trip was his move from Florida to Austin in 2013 (traveling first class!) to be closer to his daughter and son-in-law. Robert is survived by his wife, Maria Pilar Smith of Kyle, Texas; daughter Melissa Handley and her husband Keith Handley of Austin, Texas; and sister Barbara Matson and her husband Charles Matson of Traverse City, Michigan and their children Kris, Susan and Robert; and his in-laws George and Toni Trosky of Aztec, New Mexico and their children Christina and Peter. The twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes, his big laugh and his mischievous smile will be dearly missed. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation at http://bbrfoundation.donordrive.com/campaign/robertsmith