Douglas Michael Smith, Sergeant, Marietta Police Dept (Retired)
USAF, TSgt, VietNam Veteran

Douglas Michael Smith, 78, of Cartersville, Ga and formerly of Acworth, GA, passed away quietly with his loving family present on Saturday, June 20, following a lengthy illness and hospital stay.  Doug was a devoted husband and loving father, grandfather and great grandfather.  He leaves behind a legacy as baseball coach for most of his life, mentoring his players with great knowledge and love of the game.
He coached at many levels, from Little League in Acworth, high school at  John Jay HS, Cross River, New York and Brookfield High School, Brookfield, Ct, Lagrange College, Lagrange, Ga and American Legion in Billings, Laurel and Columbus, Montana. He also played at many levels, including semi-pro in California, Georgia and Indiana. His love and dedication to the game and his players will long be remembered by his teammates, players, coaches and parents.

He is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Joyce (McClure) Smith of Acworth and Cartersville, son Donnie Smith (wife Michelle) of Pooler, Ga, granddaughters Danielle (Smith) Munyi of Birmingham, Al,  Heather Taylor (Levi) of Cartersville, Ga and Jordyn Ogren (Mitch) of Hudson, Wisconsin, grandsons Seth Cargyle  of Kennesaw, Ga and Franco Gonzalez of Sarasota, Fl, great grandchildren Lexy Smith, Charli and Levi Taylor, James and Myka Ogren and sister Linda Straub of Pine Mountain , Ga. and sister in law Annette Graham of Acworth, Ga. He is also survived by his nieces Sheri Atwell of Atco, Ga and Kelly Meno of Morgantown, West Va and one nephew Sean Meno of Roxbury, NJ.  He was preceded in death by son Ryan Lawson Bolton, daughter Michelle Bolton Smith, great grandson Isaiah Ross and sister Debbie Meno.

Doug proudly served his country with honor in the USAF with active duty from 1968 - 1975, then continued to serve in the AF Reserve for several years.  He was a proud Viet Nam veteran and wore his veteran's hat everyday, always responding with " proud to do it" when anyone thanked him for his service.  After discharging from active duty, he worked as a firefighter for the USAF for several years.  When he and his family returned to Acworth, Ga in 1979, he started a new career with the Cobb County Police Department, eventually moving over to the Marietta Police Department where he achieved the rank of Sergeant.  He was well regarded by all his fellow workers and considered to have the highest moral and ethical standings, earning him the nickname of "Duggie Do Right".

Growing up in Vista, New York, he was a lifelong New York Yankees and New York Giants fan, attending many Giants games with his father over the years.  He attended college at Nichols College, Dudley, Ma as well as Victor Valley College, Victorville, Ca while stationed at George AFB, also paying on their baseball team.  After moving to Acworth, Ga he attended Kennesaw College and then LaGrange College while coaching baseball there, serving as a role model for his young baseball players by achieving a 4.0 gpa while coaching as well as raising a family.

He will be forever loved and missed by his family, as well as many others, including his Waffle House friends and servers.