Longtime Adrian public servant, mayor, city administrator Alden Smith dies at 89

ADRIAN — One of the most respected and well-known public servants in the history of the city of Adrian is being remembered for his love of community, his commitment to bettering the lives of residents and his willingness to serve the city he loved in any capacity.

Alden Forrest Smith, the person whose name graces the front of the city of Adrian Fire Department complex and the man who dedicated more than 30 — almost 40 years — of service to Adrian governments, boards and committees died Dec. 11 after an eight-month battle with cancer. He was 89. His obituary said he died peacefully at home and was surrounded by family.

The funeral service was held last week, Dec. 20, at Wagley Funeral Home in Adrian. The Rev. Larry Betz officiated. A recording of the service can be viewed online at www.WagleyFuneralHomes.com on Smith’s tribute wall.

Burial and full military rites conducted by Annis-Flint Veterans of Foreign War Post No. 1584 and American Legion Post No. 97, both of Adrian, took place immediately following the service at Oakwood Cemetery in Adrian.

During his final weeks, several former coworkers, friends, family and even former employees visited with Smith and reminisced in memories of years past.

“There has been a lot of support from people who knew and loved dad,” said daughter Sue Smith. “We’ve received cards, taken plenty of phone calls and a lot of people visited with us at the funeral home. But even before that, while he was at home and struggling with his cancer, word had gotten out that he was home and people would come by, sit, and talk with him. He loved that. It brought a smile to his face every day.”

Alden Smith was born and raised in Adrian. He is a 1950 graduate from Adrian High School. In 1951, he joined the United States Air Force and served his country until 1955. His years in the military are the only years he spent away from Adrian. It did not take long until he found his way back to his hometown.

“Al’s love for the city of Adrian and service to his community was his true calling,” his obituary said.

Nobody can seem to pinpoint what exactly Smith admired so much about Adrian, his daughter said.

“I think a lot of that admiration (for Adrian) was because it was his hometown and its where he was raised. I also think it’s part of how he was raised. His father (Albert Forrest Smith) was committed to the community as a volunteer firefighter.

“One of the values they instilled as he was growing up was service to your community. That was just a part of dad’s character,” she said. “It was who dad was.”

Alden Smith, who was nicknamed by many as “Al” or “Smitty,” served in several local roles upon his return to Adrian from the Air Force. The year 1970, however, became the turning point of his true service to community. That was the year he was appointed to the city of Adrian Planning Commission.

He served on the commission until 1979. Four of those years were as chairman. In 1980, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Adrian City Commission, which he was later elected to by the voters of Adrian.

In 1982, he was appointed mayor of Adrian by the city commission, and in 1983, he was on the ballot for city of Adrian mayor, winning the majority vote and serving in that capacity for two more years.

The year 1985, meanwhile, was the year in which Smith was selected to serve the city of Adrian as city administrator. It was a role he held for 13 years until his retirement in 1998, and it was considered his dream role by many people.

“It was remarkable when he was given the opportunity to move into the city administrator role,” Sue said. “It was the perfect fit for him. He finally found that job which really spoke to his passion about community and everything, really. It couldn’t have been a better fit for him.”

Retirement for Alden lasted a couple of years, but service to community must have mattered a little bit more. He returned to work in the public sector as a part-time consultant for the city of Adrian on special projects in 2003, and in 2006, he served as the city’s interim administrator.

“There was something in (dad) that told him to keep coming back to work,” Sue said. “He was just that kind of person who wanted to give back. It was a part of his nature and loyalty.”

What’s been considered his greatest achievement over his 30-40 years of public service was the successful passage of the bond issue for the completion of the Adrian Fire Department station, which currently stands at 208 S. Main St., near downtown Adrian.

Because of his efforts in making sure the fire department would become a reality, and for all of his other accomplishments across the city, Smith was surprised by the city on his 80th birthday in 2012, in which the fire department was dedicated as the “Alden F. Smith Station.”

Dane Nelson, longtime attorney for the city of Adrian and a former city administrator, was responsible for getting Smith’s name onto the fire department.

“In the history of this city, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a combined tenure of service to this city as a volunteer and as an elected official and then following it all by working with the city for 13 years as city administrator,” he said. “It was my thought back then that (Alden) should be remembered in some way by the city naming a building after him. The fire department made the most sense.”

The ceremony, which also unveiled a plaque at the fire hall dedicated to Smith, was perhaps one of her dad’s fondest birthdays, Sue said.

“He was in remarkable health at the time,” she said. “An honor like that, was wonderful for all of us. It was a surprise to dad, which was even more fun. (Dane Nelson) was very instrumental in making that happen.”

Smith leaves behind his son David (Sarah) Smith, sister, Lois (Keith) Snyder; brother, Richard (Joanne) Smith; grandchildren, Cory (Kathy) Smith, Adam (Gabrielle) Smith, Crystal (Alex) Levine, Victoria (Chris) Whiting, Daniel (Ashley) Smith, Julianna Smith; and great-grandchildren, Stephen, Joshua, Alissa, Zachary, Dylan, Riley, Isobel, Freya and Miles.

His wife of 42 years, Marian Willett died Feb. 9, 1995.

Current Adrian Mayor Angie Sword Heath said she never worked side-by-side with Smith, but she credits his wisdom and inspiration for her successful campaigning as mayor in 2019.

“He was a die-hard Adrian community member,” Heath said. “He believed in this city. He was just a true man of our community and he was a pillar of character, integrity and commitment in the way he led.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Alden Smith, former Adrian mayor and city administrator, dies at 89