Roger John Smith

Roger John Smith, 80 of Kill Devil Hills, NC, beloved husband of Marie Reitschmidt Smith, passed away peacefully on June 9, 2025, at Spring Arbor Assisted Living.

Roger was born on December 29, 1944, in Hartford, Connecticut to the late Roger William and Mary Giannette Smith. Roger was raised and lived in the Windsor, Connecticut area until joining the United States Army where he served honorably from 1962 to 1966.

While serving, Roger was stationed in Germany where he met the love of his life Marie, to whom he was married for 59 wonderful years. After returning from service, Roger and Marie resided in Connecticut and during that time welcomed two sons, Michael John Smith (in 1966) and Roger Henrich Smith (in 1976). Ready for a new adventure, they moved to the Outer Banks in the mid 1980’s, to enjoy “beach life”. Roger spent over 20 years as Chief Maintenance Engineer at the Sanderling Resort until retiring and moving to Winston Salem. After many years in Winston Salem, enjoying the foothills and NC mountains, it was time to move back closer to family and they returned to the Outer Banks in 2022.

Roger is survived by his loving wife Marie of Kill Devil Hills, NC; two wonderful sons, Michael J. Smith and wife Amy of Kitty Hawk, NC; Roger H. Smith of Eugene, OR; two grandchildren of whom he was so very proud, Zachary A. Smith and husband Kyle of Baltimore, MD, Abby N. Smith of Kitty Hawk; and two brothers, William R. Smith
(Julianna) of Connecticut, James A. Smith (Margaret) of Massachusetts.

In addition to his parents, Roger was predeceased by his loving daughter-in-law Heather Chessman, and his younger sisters Nancy Morissette and Frances Smith.

Roger loved the outdoors and he and Marie spent much of their retirement, taking long walks and enjoying the beautiful scenery of western North Carolina. Roger was a man of many talents with such an attention to detail that could build and fix just about anything. However, he was, most of all, a loving husband (Schatz), father (Pop) and grandfather (Opi).

At a later time, the family will hold a private celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a local charity of your choice. A special thank you to the Staff of Outer Banks Spring Arbor, Albemarle Hospice and Gallop Funeral Services for their dedication and care of Roger during this time. Condolences may shared with the family at www.gallopfuneralservices.com.