Robert W. Smith Jr.

Robert W. Smith Jr, age 91, of Prior Lake, MN, passed away on July 22, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM with Military Honors at 11:45 AM on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, 4565 Pleasant St SE, Prior Lake, MN. Bob will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, 7601 34th Avenue, Minneapolis MN following services at 1:30 PM. Guests attending, please arrive at the cemetery by 1:15 PM in Assembly Area 3.

Memorials are preferred and will be distributed by the family in honor of Bob.

Bob was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the third of eight children. Bob joined the United States Air Force in 1954 where he proudly served for four years. He then continued his commitment to our country with the Minnesota Air National Guard. He retired in 1991 from the 133rd Airlift Wing as a Chief Master Sargent.

Bob met the love of his life, Doris, while he was stationed in Minnesota. They later married in Waco, TX and eventually returned to Minneapolis where they started their family. They spent almost 24 years in Eagan, MN before moving to Prior Lake, MN in 1985.

Bob was a dedicated family man who spent countless hours at the softball fields, playing volleyball, camping, snowmobiling, or working on projects around the house. He enjoyed navigating long road trips with a well-worn Rand McNally Road Map.

A Mechanic’s Mechanic, Bob was a skilled tinkerer who never met a carburetor he couldn’t fix. He was often sought out by friends, co-workers and family members for his skills and expertise.

Bob never had a document or a receipt he wanted to part with. If he needed proof of a $2 part he returned in 1963, he had it. Bob also journaled the important events in his life leaving behind pages filled with a life well lived.

He will be remembered by family and friends for his stoic nature and dry sense of humor.

Bob is survived by his wife, Doris Smith; children, Brenda Smith and Douglas Smith; grandchildren, Michael (Heather) Smith, Katie Smith, Christine Dornbusch and Bobby Dornbusch; great-grandchildren, Jordynn and Ripp; and other loving family and friends.

He is preceded by his daughter, Robin Dornbusch; and parents, Robert and Geneva Smith.