Those who attended the Strawberry Festival in Leonard July 16 might have noticed a friendly, familiar face missing from the parade.
Addison Township resident Bob Smith, 87, was supposed to head the parade as the grand marshal, but had a frightening experience the night before.
‘I was in the movies at the Star Theater in Rochester Hills with my friend and I just told her I don’t feel good and then I passed out,? he said.
The next thing he knew he was lying in a hospital bed at Crittenton Hospital.
His doctor told him there was a problem with his stomach which caused him to pass out and that he needed emergency surgery.
‘He said if we don’t do anything, it might get worse,? Smith said.
After five days in the hospital Smith was sent home. His big day to shine passed by and he has been recuperating greatly in the past few weeks.
Smith’s doctor gave him what he calls a ‘life-line,? a sort of necklace with a button he can push in case of a medical emergency. It would signal to the paramedics and his neighbor that there is a problem.
‘I feel more relaxed now if something happens,? he said.
Smith said he was chosen to be grand marshal by the Leonard Summer Festival Committee because of his Lakeville/Addison Township legacy. He moved to Addison in 1946 and has been a Lakeville resident since 1969.
Smith religiously attends township meetings and calls himself an ‘activist? for Lakeville. He was also just reappointed for another six-year term on the Addison Fire Board.
‘I’m like the self-appointed mayor of Lakeville,? he said jokingly.
When he first came to Addison, Smith was the manager of Travis Turkey and Sheep, an 800-acre farm that was on Mack Rd., for 25 years. He got married and had four kids, two have since passed.
After the farm was sold, he sold insurance until he was 65. Smith said it’s amazing the changes he’s seen in the township.
‘The farm was 800 acres and now it’s been broken up into subdivisions,? he said.
Although this humble gentleman appreciated being named the grand marshal, when he told the committee he couldn’t participate they didn’t believe him.
‘They told me I got sick on purpose so I didn’t have to do it,? he joked. ‘Maybe next year they’ll say I can be grand marshal.?
While Smith was recuperating, he said he missed his two-mile walks through town and visits at the township offices the most.
Although his medical emergency hindered his leading the parade, Smith said it was a good thing he was at the theater when it happened and not home by himself.
‘It’s always a blessing when something happens at the right time,? he said.
Maybe when he’s feeling up to it, Smith will get the chance to see the movie he missed the night of his emergency ? The Wedding Crashers.