Wyandotte animal shelter volunteer known for loving MSU dies

• Devoted Wyandotte Animal Shelter volunteer and Michigan State Spartan fan David Smith of New Boston died on January 9.
• He’s remembered for his considerate, giving, loud and cheerful persona.
• He was recognized for the excessive stage of care he supplied to canine on the shelter and for his assist in elevating funds for the animal shelter.

Devoted animal shelter volunteer and devoted Spartan fan David Smith is understood by many within the Downriver group of Wyandotte for his love of canine and his proud assist of Michigan State College.

His sudden demise on Jan. 9 prompted folks in inexperienced and white to attend his go to final weekend, and lots of of others shared tales of his love for animals within the feedback part of a Fb submit from Wyandotte Animal Shelter.

He grew a group so massive that in lower than 24 hours his household was capable of finding a large inflatable Spartan for his celebration of life on Saturday, January 17. They deliberate to make use of Smith’s, however did not notice there was a gap in it till the day earlier than.

Smith, 51, of New Boston, was a loving brother, son and uncle with a considerate, giving, selfless, fun-loving and outgoing persona, mentioned his older sister, Amy Arnett of New Boston, and his youthful twin sisters, Katherine Marcero of Carleton and Rebecca Russell of New Boston.

Smith’s love for MSU runs in his household, as his sisters and his older brother, Michael Smith, all attended the college. There wasn’t a birthday or vacation that David Smith did not present MSU gear, Arnett mentioned, besides the time he gave his niece a bit of College of Michigan gear as a joke.

David Smith studied felony justice at MSU and labored in varied jobs after commencement, together with insurance coverage and babysitting, his sisters mentioned. Most not too long ago, he labored as a upkeep crew on the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

One among his first jobs as a young person was in a greenhouse, though he had allergic reactions, Marcero mentioned. He beloved being exterior and doing guide work equivalent to mowing the garden, Russell mentioned. He preferred it a lot that he would mow the grass on the Wyandotte Animal Shelter and by no means inform them he was doing it, based on one Facebook post from the shelter.

“He by no means mentioned something about it or took credit score for it. Nevertheless, we occurred to catch him within the act the day earlier than an adoption,” the submit mentioned. “That is simply who he was. Somebody who simply wished to go away the world round him higher than when he discovered it. He leaves a long-lasting legacy on the shelter.”

Devoted to the canine

Wyandotte Animal Shelter volunteer Stacey Sutka mentioned she met Smith when he first attended a spaghetti dinner hosted for the shelter in 2013. After attending the dinner, he joined the close-knit group of volunteers and spent numerous hours strolling the canine, cleansing up the yard and serving to the shelter in varied methods, Sutka mentioned.

Annually he donated an MSU-themed basket and a Blackstone grill to the spaghetti dinner raffle, setting it up earlier than the raffle so the winner may take it dwelling able to go, Sutka mentioned. One 12 months, the assembled grill did not match within the winner’s automobile, so he utterly disassembled it, went to her home and reassembled it there. Smith would additionally put on a cowboy hat whereas main the 50-50 on the dinners, Sutka mentioned.

“He had a really loud, boisterous voice, so he was excellent for it as a result of he would come on, he may say ’50-50′ to over 600 folks, and you’d nonetheless have the ability to hear him,” Sutka mentioned. It was simple to know when he was on the shelter as a result of “he was very loud and he was joyful, and he was smiling and telling jokes.”

On the first spaghetti dinner fundraiser he attended, about 200 folks attended. The 2025 dinner introduced collectively greater than 600 folks. Sutka mentioned Smith helped it develop.

About 500 to 1,000 animals come by means of the shelter annually, Sutka mentioned. Smith supplied private care to the canine he labored with, remembering them and sometimes contacting individuals who adopted the animals to ask in the event that they wanted assist. He even drove one canine to private coaching in Monroe each week and practiced with him exterior of sophistication to assist him get adopted.

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Sutka mentioned the time and dedication Smith gave to every canine he interacted with is second to none.

“He was at all times very snug,” Sutka mentioned. “There was by no means a canine he would not stroll. If there is a canine I do not really feel snug with, I do not stroll it. He at all times felt snug, and that made the canine snug. There’s a lot he is executed for our shelter and that is going to be very laborious to exchange.”

Smith had two canine of his personal – Max and Cooper – who died just a few years in the past however lived lengthy lives. Smith took Cooper for most cancers therapy at MSU’s Veterinary Medical Heart, Marcero mentioned. He additionally had a canine named Hoss.

‘Distinctive’

Together with the animals, Smith was keen about serving to veterans. Yearly, the colleges the place his sisters educate host a fundraiser for winter gear for households of veterans. Smith at all times picked up the donations and dropped them off at Downriver for Veterans.

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Smith’s dad and mom, Lawrence and Jeanette Smith, preceded him in demise. Marcero mentioned she thinks Smith and all of the siblings discovered the significance of giving from their dad and mom.

“Our dad and mom have been such position fashions for all of us,” Marcero mentioned. “They have been so selfless, and I feel David and all of us discovered that from seeing them at all times giving to others. My mom typically baked for funeral lunches, taking many playing cards from the donation tree and donating to Saint Jude’s, Smile Practice, and charities. Dad would drop every thing to assist somebody along with his carpentry expertise or to assist restore his car.”

Smith’s sisters mentioned individuals who need to donate in Smith’s honor ought to take into account the Wyandotte Animal Adoption Heart wacshelter.com or downstream for veterans downriverforveterans.org. The Wyandotte Animal Shelter is hosting its 2026 spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday, March 21.

“I would like folks to learn his story and know that they can also have an effect like this,” Marcero mentioned. “He was an strange man, however all of the issues he did present all the nice issues you are able to do on this world if you happen to put your coronary heart into it and are beneficiant. He might have felt strange, however he was extraordinary.”

Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.