Lakes Region mourns Bob Smith, philanthropic 'icon'

Robert F. Smith, 93, who died Aug. 7, is remembered for his business savvy, philanthropic efforts, and as a loving family member and friend to many.

Smith was a banker and business owner, who always strove to do good for his community. His endeavors included work with the Boys & Girls Club, the Sakowich Foundation, the New Hampshire Humane Society, Castle in the Clouds, and the Lahey Hospital. Many of his charitable contributions came quietly, or even anonymously, but always with a profound impact.

A successful business leader

Smith was born in Staten Island, New York, moved to East Chelmsford, Massachusetts, at the age of 3, and grew up during the Great Depression. His humble beginning likely contributed to his philanthropic endeavors.

Smith married his high school sweetheart, Miriam Sullivan. When she made it known she would only marry a college graduate, he enrolled at Bentley University. Smith graduated at the top of his class in 1953, from the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, and went on to work for General Electric for the next 28 years.

In 1981, Smith became senior vice president and treasurer at American Express, and two years later became president of American Express Bank Ltd., and chair and chief executive officer by January 1985. He retired from American Express in 1989, and moved from Connecticut, to his dream home in Gilford, on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Smith served on several boards, including the Cendant Corporation, and 25 years on the Bentley University Board of Trustees. He received an honorary doctorate from Saint Anselm College in 1986, and another honorary doctorate from Bentley University in 1997.

Between 1994 and 2026, Smith and his son, Rob, worked as partners.

Smith became a founding partner of Car Component Technology, which became the world’s largest automobile front-wheel-drive axle manufacturer. They shifted to the food industry, owning a pair of well-known Lakes Region establishments: The Wine'ing Butcher and Sawyer’s Dairy Bar.

“When my dad became passionate about something, he went full boar,” Rob said.

One of these passions was Castle in the Clouds, in Moultonborough. Executive Director Chuck Clark said Bob and Miriam were “generous donors.”

“He liked to connect people and their causes that he believed in,” Clark said. “He was great. Bob really enjoyed that piece of philanthropy in making connections, and helping people find things they believed in to support.”

Clark has been executive director for about 11 years, and got to know Smith right from the start of his time there. Smith connected Castle in the Clouds with the Sakowich Foundation, which made contributions to a five-year program focused on education.

“Bob was integral in that,” Clark said.

Clark said Bob and Miriam were always friendly and forthcoming, and shared ideas and provided honest feedback. He said they were fun loving and always smiling, and it was always exciting to see them come through the door to a program or event. Clark called them part of the “fabric of the castle.”

“The word I would use for Bob is ‘understated,’” Clark said. “He wasn’t bombastic. Some people are philanthropic for attention, but not him. He didn’t do that. He liked to give to causes that he believed in. He was a wonderful man.”

A home for Boys & Girls Club

Smith was integral in not only establishing the Boys & Girls Club of the Lakes Region Endowment Trust, but helping the organization land its home at the former St. James Episcopal Church, in Laconia, in 2013.

Chris Emond, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire, met Smith when there was a merger with the Lakes Region Boys & Girls Club. Emond knew about Smith. When meeting him, Emond realized how modest Smith was. He called him an "icon."

“He was a humble guy, but he always just had a good point,” Emond said. “He was one of those people where everyone would talk, and then we’d kind of wait to hear what Bob had to say. You learn a lot from that. Bob’s opinion was one we always asked for.”

The Boys & Girls Club of the Lakes Region was in a tough spot when they first met. Emond’s board had never gone through a merger, and they were nervous. He said several leaders — but notably, Smith — led the charge.

“That was Bob,” Emond said. “He knew what needed to be done, and I’m sure he did it in business all the time. What to do to seal the deal, and even though this was a nonprofit situation, some of the dynamics are still the same. I’m going to miss him.”

Emond said not having Smith around is tough to grasp, and he knows he’s not the only one who feels that way.

Emond said they were lucky enough to have Smith, as well as Paul Gaudet Sr. and Rod Dyer, help create a trustee board just for the Lakes Region. He called them “superbeings of Laconia,” and said Smith was always making sure the endowment trust would continue to grow, and benefit children of the Lakes Region directly.

“We need to make sure it stays that way forever, and Bob was a big proponent of that,” Emond said. “We need to make sure these funds stay up in the Lakes Region, and we set it up that way.”

Emond said Smith and Gaudet were like brothers, as well as being centerpiece figures for the Boys & Girls Club.

A great friend

Gaudet said he and Smith were “extremely close,” not only as friends, but working on a number of charitable projects. He said when he got involved with the Boys & Girls Club, money was an issue. He reached out to Smith for assistance on how to design a program where money would be earmarked to help the organization purchase a home, which ultimately wound up being the former St. James Episcopal Church.

“We were able to do that,” Gaudet said. “It took about a year, but with Bob’s help, we put them in the building they are in now.”

Gaudet said those same people donated $200,000 to start an endowment, and with Smith’s guidance and leadership, it has grown and grown to benefit local children to the tune of about $2.5 million.

Over the years, working side-by-side, Gaudet and Smith became the best of friends over two decades.

“He was great; these words are hard because we were so close,” Gaudet said. “When you became a friend of Bob’s, he would keep you close. He was someone I could pick up the phone any day and ask for advice. He was there, and I was always better off talking to him. His perspective on things was unique.”

Gaudet called Smith a “giant,” who he looked up to. He read a eulogy at Smith’s funeral on Wednesday, and said it was one of the hardest things he has ever been asked to do.

“Bob was a great friend of mine, a trusted associate, a mentor, and someone I respected enormously,” Gaudet said. “We worked together in a number of organizations and on a number of projects, but what I will remember most is the man behind all those things.”

A loving husband and father

Gaudet was proud of Smith as an “extremely devoted” family man. He and his wife, Miriam, were married for 67 years, and they had two children, Rob and Brenda.

“Bob loved them deeply, and anyone who knew him knew how important his family was to him,” Gaudet said.

Brenda said anyone who knows her father realizes how successful he was in so many ways, with an entrepreneurial spirit, and giving heart.

“But the most important thing to him was family,” she said. “He was always in our corner, generously giving us his support, advice, incredible intellect and overflowing love. He prayed for his family every day, and ended every parting with a hug and a 'God bless.'”

His son Rob was his business partner for more than three decades.

“My dad was a great person,” Rob said. “He could be tough, really tough. But it is funny, he was a such a great mentor to a lot of people.”

Rob said over the years doing business together, he always heard from people who worked for them about how much they learned from his father.

He recalled his father writing things down, and people would call it chicken scratch, because nobody would be able to read his handwriting. Smith would take the paper, scan it, send it to Rob, and ask him to put it in a format people could understand.

Smith always had great ideas.

“A quintessential back-of-the-envelope type of guy,” Rob said.

While Smith could be tough in business, Rob said one thing was for sure: he had a bleeding heart, and that went a very long way.

“He was someone you could learn a tremendous amount from,” Rob said. “I was super lucky that I had him as my dad and a business partner. He was definitely the smartest person I have ever met.”