Bobbie Smith

Bobbie D. Smith was born on September 21, 1923, to Mynor & Cecil (Nansel) Smith, on Garfield Table in Lincoln County, Nebraska. Along with his two brothers & one sister, Bobbie attended the Garfield school through the 10th grade. He attended the remainder of his high school years in • Arnold, graduating with the class of 1941.

Bobbie was very active in 4-H and was on the Lincoln County livestock judging team for 3 years. His team qualified for the state competition at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln, where Bobbie took first place in the horse judging one year.

On October 9, 1946, Bobbie married Gloria Detlefsen. They made their home just west of Arnold, on a farm that Bobbie had just purchased. They had two children, Karen & Robbi. Bobbie & Gloria were married 62 years, until Gloria passed away from cancer in May of 2009.

Farming always held a special place in Bobbie's heart. He was taught at a young age to work hard & get things done right. During WWII, Bobbie was able to purchase his first combine & start a custom harvesting business that took him from Oklahoma to North Dakota for several years. On his own farm, he loved to work the fields and watch his crops grow, anxiously waiting for harvest time. Bobbie loved to run the combine, and for 75 consecutive years, that was his favorite job on the farm. In March of 1982, Bobbie & Robbi formed the partnership called B. Smith & Son. They farmed together and were business partners for 43 years. Bobbie also spent several years auctioning at the sale barn and for Bobbie Smith Auction Service. He also loved to announce at the rodeo, especially with his friend, Hadley Barrett.

Community service was very important to Bobbie. He played an active role in the Arnold Community Center project, collecting many pledges from many people in order to complete the construction. He was also active in Rotary for many years, holding offices at the district level as well as the club level. Bobbie had a huge love for the Arnold community and beamed with pride when he talked about the activities happening in his community. He loved the Sandhills Open Road Challenge races and in 2014, at the age of 90, won the 90-mph class!

After complications from Covid, Bobbie moved to assisted living at Stone Hearth Estates in Gothenburg. It was here that he had a Corvette-style 100th birthday party. It was a grand event, complete with a honorary lifetime membership to a Nebraska Corvette Club. He went on to celebrate one more birthday with the residents and awesome staff at Stone Hearth Estates.

Bobbie was preceded in death by his parents, wife Gloria, daughter Karen (Smith) McCan, brother Don Smith, Sister Bonnie (Smith) Rose, nephews Dirk Rose, Todd Smith & Lindy Smith.

He is survived by his son Robbi (Shelley) of Arnold, grandchildren Damon Mccan (Heather Cunningham) of Eau Claire, WI, Colbi Smith of Lincoln, Jeff Preston (Michelle) of Arnold, Jessica Preston of Vienna, Austria & Rachelle Preston of Broken Bow, great grandchildren Berklee & Beckett Preston of Arnold, son-in-law Duane McCan of Kearney, brother Max (Joan) Smith of Arnold, sister-in-law Mildred Smith of Arnold, and numerous nephews & nieces.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 10:30 AM at the Arnold United Methodist Church. The service will be livestreamed at www.govierbrothers.com. The burial will be in Arnold Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Sunday, May 4th, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the Arnold Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to the Arnold Community Foundation, PO Box 131, Arnold, NE 69120. Arnold Funeral Home/Govier Brothers Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. Online words of condolence may be left at www.govierbrothers.com.