David I. Smith 1951-2021

SMITH, SCHWARTZ, OBBINK

Posted By: Barry R Huntsinger (email)
Date: 7/3/2021 at 07:20:19

David I. Smith of Swanzey, NH died Sunday, June 20, 2021 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH following a stroke. He was born on June 2, 1951 to Irvin and Lillian (Schwartz) Smith of Armstrong, IA, where he participated in high school baseball, football, track, concert, jazz and marching band and chorus. He was the recipient of the Citizenship Award upon graduation.

He went on to receive his BA in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa where he was a member of the Panther 100 Marching Band and Men’s Glee Club. In 1972 he married his high school sweetheart Peggy Obbink of Armstrong, IA. His career in finance began at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Des Moines, IA plant.

After 5 years in various accounting manager positions, he was transferred to the corporate headquarters in Akron, OH where he served as Synthetic and Natural Rubber Division Accounting Manager, Senior International Corporate Auditor, and Retail Sales and Service Group Accounting Manager. He was honored with the Chairman’s Outstanding Performance Award for his contributions to the division. In New Hampshire, he served as Division Controller for New Hampshire Ball Bearing in Peterborough before starting his own company, Strategic CFO, in 1989, providing hands-on senior management consulting to privately held businesses. His most recent client was Powers Guaranteed Services of Swanzey.

He served on the Board of Directors for the New England Nordic Ski Association and the Monadnock Waldorf School, and was co-chair of the SWNH Bill Koch Youth Ski League. He is survived by his wife Peggy, daughter Megan (Erik Dey), grandchildren Amelia, Aksel of Beacon Falls, CT; son Grayson (Ashleigh Hutwelker), grandchildren Kaden, Savannah of Swanzey, NH; daughter Annamaria of Boston, MA, brother/sister-in-laws Scott & Dee Obbink, Brian & Deb Obbink, nieces and nephews, and mother-in-law Audrey Obbink. He is preceded in death by his granddaughter, Loreli Dey, sister Sharon Smith, and his parents.

A Celebration of Life was held Saturday, July 17, 2021 at Whitcomb Hall, 17 Main Street, West Swanzey, NH. In honor of Dave’s love of cookies and Hawaiian shirts, celebrants were encouraged to wear their party brights and bring stories to share as they gathered together to honor and celebrate his life. Their favorite homemade cookies were also welcomed. An avid baseball fan, memorial contributions were encouraged in his name to the youth baseball league: Swanzey Cal Ripken, PO Box 10235, Swanzey, NH 03446.

(Source: Armstrong Journal, Armstrong, Iowwa-30 June 2021.)