Dr. Ronald D Smith of Plainfield IL died April 18, 2019 from pulmonary disease. Ron was born in Washington, Illinois, on July 5, 1943 to Florence and Donald Smith. He married Marsha Hoffmann on January 5, 1969. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary this year. Dr. Smith received his pharmacy education at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. He continued on with a Master's and PhD in pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Medical Units in Memphis. He spent two years as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina. His professional life began as a cardiovascular research associate for Parke-Davis/Warner Lambert in Ann Arbor Michigan. His career continued with Revlon Health Care in New York and Baxter/American Critical Care in Illinois. His proudest professional achievement was being a member of the discovery team for COZAAR at DuPont Pharmaceutical Company in Wilmington Delaware. As the medication proceeded through development, Dr. Smith eventually became the Global Director of Scientific Affairs at Merck & Company in Whitehouse Station, NJ. His responsibilities included conducting international clinical trials for COZAAR. His favorite places to travel were South Africa; Barcelona, Spain; and Venice Italy. He served as a member of the International Board for Hypertension for seven years. Dr. Smith retired 10 years ago but continued working as a consultant for COZAAR until July of last year. Ron was a member of the church board in every place that he and his family lived. He was interested in black and white photography. Ron and his wife enjoyed playing bridge with their friends. He was a talented woodworker making furniture for his home and projects for churches. Ron was an avid gardener and especially enjoyed growing red raspberries. He spent many hours watching and cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles. He participated in AWANA as a patient listener for many years. But most of all his very favorite activity was spending time with his six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, and his father-in-law, Wayne Hoffmann. He is survived by his wife, Marsha, and children: His daughter, Dusti and her husband, John Magemeneas, and their children Mason, Gloria Lynne, Lydia, and Sylvia. His son, Adam Smith, is the father of Connor and Emma. Ron's sisters, Joyce, Barbara, and Patricia also survive along with his mother-in-law Laura Hoffmann. Services will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church in Joliet, IL on April 22 at 5:30 p.m. in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Messiah Lutheran Church's AWANA program, the American Lung Association, or St. Jude Children's Research hospital.