Hayden M. Smith Jr.'s Obituary
Hayden M. Smith, Jr., age 93, of Norton Shores, Michigan passed away at the Harbor Hospice Poppen Residence on Saturday, October 25, 2025. He was born on January 3, 1932, to Hayden and Annie Mae Smith in LaGrange, Georgia. They moved to Muskegon, Michigan when Hayden was eight years old where he lived most of his life with the exception of a few years in New Jersey and Indiana.
It would only take a quick look at his office to see that Hayden was a true Renaissance man. Books on physics, acting, singing, politics, entrepreneurship, climate change, health, personal growth, thriller fiction, and writing fill his bookshelves. Surrounded by pictures of his family and friends, he spent hours doing what he loved – learning and sharing that knowledge.
A physicist by education and career, he completed his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics at Western Michigan University and his master’s degree in theoretical physics at the University of Detroit Mercy. He continued his studies with doctoral courses at Princeton University and Rutgers University. He enjoyed a stellar career at Bendix Research Laboratories in Southfield, Michigan where he developed particle detectors for the Pioneer and Vanguard probes for ultraviolet radiation and particle detection in outer space and then David Sarnoff Research Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey where he conducted research work in photomultiplier development that led to improvements still being used in nuclear facilities and particle detectors.
When he returned to Michigan, he taught math at Grand Valley State University and then secured a position with Muskegon Community College (MCC) where he taught mathematics and physics for almost twenty-four years until he retired in 2007 at age 75. He loved teaching and igniting the physics and math spark in his students. His students remember him as a great teacher. He called his career at MCC “one of the most fulfilling times of his life.”
Retirement created a new challenge and opportunity for him. With more time on his hands, he started creating his Fourth Quarter. He had five passions – the first one was staying close to his family and friends. He enjoyed going to the grandkids’ band concerts, birthday parties, swim meets, baseball games, and just hanging out at the arcade where he mastered Pacman. His Breakfast Buddies – Brian, Jon, and Larry – connected often at Carmen’s or Bob Evans where they made valiant attempts to save the world if it would only listen to them. Better friends he couldn’t have asked for.
Passion number two – music! He sang all through Muskegon High School (Go Big Red!). He had a barbershop quartet at the David Sarnoff Labs that performed at the company picnics. His first professional gig was with the Brick Presbyterian Church Choir in New York City – he earned a whopping $25 a week in 1969-1970! He also sang with the Oratorio Society in New York where they performed the Messiah at Carnegie Hall and the Princeton Opera Company. He had such a pure tenor voice.
He continued his music passion in the 1970s but in a different direction – he started a rock group, HMS and Company, performing Fifth Dimension style music – white bell bottoms, flowered shirts, and long hair. The group played all over western Michigan.
He traveled to Germany and France with the Blue Lake Alumni Choir in 2010. He took singing lessons from Nicolas Loren of Holland, Michigan who taught him so much. At 83 years old, he created and performed his first Cabaret at the Frauenthal in 2015, a medley of Broadway hits which he followed up with an encore performance in 2019, also at the Frauenthal with more Broadway songs that he loved so much.
He had season tickets to the West Michigan Symphony for years and very much enjoyed Scott Speck’s vision and selections from traditional classical music to the recent Direct from Sweden ABBA show.
He supplemented his love of music with his third passion – theater! He started acting in high school and finally got back to it. He played Mary Sunshine in Chicago – he had a lot of fun dressing up as a woman. He did Norman Thayer twice in On Golden Pond and he stole the show in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Erronius. And who could forget his performance in Oliver.
His fourth passion, travel, filled him with joy and excitement. He took his first trip to Europe in 2008 to Ireland with his daughter and son-in-law. Dublin, Galway, Cong where one of his favorite John Wayne movies, The Quiet Man, was filmed. With passport clutched in his hand, he quickly followed that up with the Blue Lake trip to Germany and France with another daughter. Shortly after that he spent ten days in Paris with his daughter and son-in-law. Interspersed with his European travels, he visited his family in Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado, and California. In the last two years, he’s concentrated on National Parks in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana in 2024 and earlier this year to Washington and Oregon, travelling with his daughters and son-in-law.
Finally, his last passion—his novels. In 2007, he started attending the University of Michigan’s Bear River Writer’s Conference and he joined a local writing group, Stirrings. Both experiences inspired him to write many short pieces as well as beginning work on his first novel, Nine Expensive Funerals, which he published in 2020. His second novel, Vengeance Served Cold, only took two years. And his third, Intrigue in Paris, was just published on September 9, 2025. Ever the salesman, he would tell you they are available on Amazon or you can order them from your favorite independent bookstore. The highlight of this fall was his acceptance into the Michigan Trail of Authors on September 25, 2025, at the Muskegon Barnes and Noble. He sold seventeen books in one day!
And if all of this wasn’t enough, he served on the Friends of the Hackley Public Library for five years, serving as president for one year.
His greatest wish was that if you looked at his life, especially his Fourth Quarter, that you too would know you’re never too old to dream and to achieve those dreams. He said he had a great, full life. And he wanted you to have the same.
He is survived by his children, Deborah (Joel) Smith Cook of Springfield, Virginia, Greg (Cindy) Smith of Lamoni, Iowa, and Cheryl (Al) Van Hemert of Fremont, Michigan, and stepchildren, Susan Shaffer of Allendale, Terry Swanson of West Olive, Michigan, and Sandra Hunter of Ravenna, Michigan. He was the proud grandfather of eleven grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Phil Smith of Colorado, and numerous nephews and nieces and their wives and husbands.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Patricia Mulder; his brothers, William and Michael. He was also preceded in death by a special grandson, Travis Hayden Cook, who shared his name. In addition, he was preceded in death by stepson, Robert Swanson.
He was also preceded by his first wife, Wanda Smith Deur (divorced 1969), mother of his three children; and his second wife, Jacquelyn Swanson Smith, mother of his stepchildren, to whom he was married for thirty-four years until her death in 2007.
A Visitation will be held from 5:30-7:30 PM on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at The Lee Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 6291 S. Harvey St. Norton Shores, Michigan 49444. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, October 31, 2025, at The Lee Chapel. Hayden will be buried later that afternoon in Hart Cemetery with family attending.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Hayden can be directed to the West Michigan Symphony PLAY YOUR PART campaign to “enrich educational outreach to inspire a new generation of music lovers.” Or to the Friends of Hackley Public Library to support the children’s library.
You may sign his online guestbook at https://www.sytsemafh.com.
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