Was born in Canton, Ohio. He completed his formal education at Washington High School, Massillon, Ohio and graduated in 1953. He joined the army and two and one half years into his service married Dorothy in 1956.
After being discharged a year later they settled in Louisville, Ohio where he obtained employment in the local steel mill. He became disenchanted with the swing shift scenario and decided he wanted to try working the land. His interest in strawberry farming set them to looking for a farm with acreage with eastern facing slope, for the morning sun, and plenty of water.
That need led them to Hidden Valley Lake, in Paris, Ohio eight miles east of Canton. It was a 300 foot deep valley with an eight acre lake in the center of 57 acres.
Soon after they moved in, local fishermen came calling and he never planted one strawberry plant. They realised the potential of the property and built it into Hidden Valley Lake Park with swimming, picnicking, camping, and fishing.
In 1959 they were blessed with a little Suzanne and two years later Adam arrived.
Bob and Dorothy had operated the park for eleven years when a good friend offered him the opportunity to partner in an auto salvage operation in Stuart, Florida.
They sold Hidden Valley and moved to Florida. For 23 years he operated Snake Road Auto Salvage. During that time he began experimenting with glass etching with a sand blaster. In 1988 he obtained a General Contractor’s License and installed decorated windows in his construction.
In 1996 he retired and they moved to Brooksville, Florida where they purchased two and one half acres near the Withlacoochee forest. After a year of retirement he took on the maintenance of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Brooksville for the next four years. During that time an addition across the front of the church was constructed. It included sixteen large windows which he volunteered to decorate by etching a grapevine border on each one. It took six months.
That endeavor launched him into commercial commissions around the Brooksville area.
In 2001 he entered the Hernando County Arts & Crafts Festival and his etched rendition of Albrecht Durer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was awarded first place.
In the ensuing years he has, besides his commissions, etched and carved many glass table tops, mirrors, and glass items which are displayed on his online gallery............artworksbyrobertgsmith.com
To help fill his retirement days, he turned to writing and discovered a new passion.
He has three books in print which can be found on his website ....
my-books-4-u.com)
