Robert “Bob” Earl Smallwood of Georgetown, Texas died on June 11, 2026 at Beacon Hospice in Round Rock surrounded by his sons, after a brief illness. He was 87 years old. Bob is survived by his fiancée, Florence Kirk of Danbury Connecticut; his children, John D. Smallwood (wife Sheila Havard Smallwood) of Petal, Mississippi and Eric R. Smallwood (wife Aimee C. Smallwood) of St. Clair, Michigan; his grandchildren, Kate Smallwood and Abby Smallwood of Petal, Mississippi, Cameron Smallwood of Kokomo, Indiana, Delaney Dolland and Jack Dolland of St. Clair, Michigan; and his sister, Helen Smallwood Jinks (husband Michael) of Greenville, South Carolina and his brother Richard A. Smallwood of Huntsville, Alabama as well has several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry Earl and Mary Margaret Smallwood.
Bob was born in March 1939 in Washington D.C. where his parents were employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1956, he graduated from Wakefield HS in Arlington, VA as part of the inaugural graduating class. He attended William & Mary College in Williamsburg, VA where he was in the ROTC program, graduating in 1961 with a B.S. in Chemistry . His graduation was delayed by the ill-fated “cow caper”. He then attended Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia graduating in 1965 with a M.S. in Chemistry focused in metallurgy. Post graduation he served in the U.S. Army for two years of active duty and then completed 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserves achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Bob was a lover of history and of travel and passed this on to his sons. The Smallwoods would travel and tour military bases and colonial Williamsburg when John and Eric were young. In his later years, he enjoyed European river cruises with Florence and loved sharing his travel experiences with his extended family. He was an avid reader and in conversation was always armed with questions to learn more about any subject. Throughout his career he authored a metallurgy integrity manual and was an editor of a technical publication for the American Society for Testing and Materials, where he was also presented with the Award of Merit in 1987. He maintained his curiosity for learning but taking online college classes and enjoyed fellowship at San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist church in Georgetown, Texas. A prankster, Uncle/Grandpa Bob would send birthday and Christmas gifts to family with complex math riddles needed to open them.
Visitation and funeral will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Times TBA. All are welcome to attend and celebrate the life of LTC Robert “Bob” Smallwood.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Public Broadcasting Foundation https://foundation.pbs.org/
4 Responses
John, Eric and family, we were fortunate to spend time with your Dad when he came to Michigan for holidays through the years. He was an interesting gentleman and we enjoyed some of the conversations you mentioned and always learned something new. We are grateful for his extensive service to our country. We will be honored to contribute to the Public Broadcasting Foundation in his memory.
I knew Bob when our paths crossed in Materials Technology Institute. I always thought he had the widest collection of interests of anyone in the room, far beyond the engineering topics on which he was a legitimate expert and author. He made so many contributions to his profession, but I always looked forward to talking to him about almost anything else. Some people know a little bit about many things. Bob knew a whole lot about so many things that you wondered where he stored it all. What a pleasure to have known him. Condolences and warm regards to his family.
I grew up on White Street in Huntsville Alabama where his parents retired to from the Washington DC area. We were cousins on his mother’s side of the family. So sorry to here this. Prayers to his family.
I served on the board at SGUUF in Georgetown with Bob, and I’m grateful for his participation and input. He was a blessing to the community. He was usually very quiet, but the few times he would begin telling a story from his past, you never knew where it would go, and it was usually very humorous.