Ernest Michael “Mike” Smith, 71, formerly of Wills Point, passed away Monday, Feb. 14, in West Columbia, South Carolina, following a sudden illness. Visitation was held Tuesday, Feb. 22, and the service was Wednesday, Feb. 23, both at Hiett’s Lybrand Funeral Home in Wills Point.

Mike was born Feb. 16, 1950, in Houston to Ernest Grady Smith Jr. and Helen Delaine Louise Wright Smith. The family moved to Wills Point in 1955, and Mike immediately began making lifelong friends. He graduated with the Wills Point High School Class of 1968, serving as class president his sophomore year. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. After working at General Dynamics, Mike learned computer programming and database management. He owned Delta Med, a healthcare software system, and was CIO for Trail-Blazer Health in Dallas and director of specialty IT contracts and projects at Palmetto GBA in Columbia, South Carolina. He retired in 2019. A former Garland resident, he lived in Blythewood, South Carolina, for the past nine years.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents; his grandparents, Ernest Grady Smith Sr., Annie Overstreet Smith, Ella McAllister Wright, and Thomas M. Wright; the mother of his son, Angie Baugh Smith; and many good dogs and canaries.

He is survived by his wife, Deb Matthews Smith; son, Michael David Smith of Kaufman; uncle, Morgan and Mae Wright of Burnet; stepchildren, Holly and Jason Womack of Garland, Hillary Holsonback, Harrison Holsonback, and Novle Rogers, all of Dallas; and step-grandson Darby Rogers; brothers, David and Robbie Smith of Colleyville and Bob and Xiaomei Smith of Frisco; sisters, Lawanna Smith of Grapevine and Teresa Smith of Arlington; nephews, Chris and Casey Smith, Arthur and Kat Fisher, and Shawn and Molly Smith, and nieces, Delayne Smith and Yilin Chen; great-nephews and great-niece, Parker David Smith, Don Jasper Fisher and Josie Smith; former wife, Cindy Love; numerous cousins and too many friends to count.