Roger L. Smith, Jr.

Roger Smith Jr., longtime resident of Seneca Falls, passed away at Highland Hospital in Rochester with his family by his side, on Monday, November 25th, 2024, just days after celebrating his 65th birthday. A time of visitation will be held on Saturday, December 7th from 10AM – 12 NOON at Doran Funeral Home, 4 East Bayard St., Seneca Falls, where a funeral service will immediately follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer.org.

Roger was born in Clifton Springs, the only son to Roger and Charlotte (Van Curen) Smith Sr. He attended Midlakes elementary and middle school before moving to Waterloo and graduating with the Waterloo Class of 1979. During his high school career, Roger was a 4-sport athlete that played basketball, football, wrestling, and his true passion, baseball. Sports always played a big role in his life and as he got older, he became very involved in bowling. For 12 consecutive years he competed all over the country in the USBC Open Championships. Locally he held a 230 average at Sunset Bowl in Waterloo. Roger also loved to play poker, especially Texas Hold ‘em. Since 1999, he and his wife, Samantha, have held weekly poker games at their home, drawing in many friends from the area. Roger loved to play poker so much that when del Lago opened up, he was one of their first table dealers. He’s worked there since 2017, coming from a 19-year career at Ultralife in Newark.

Roger is survived by his wife of 24 years, Samantha; daughter, Ashley (Cory) Roof; stepson, David Fridley; grandson, Cory Lee Roof; parents, Roger and Charlotte Smith; step-father-in-law, Arthur French; several aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family. He was predeceased by his grandmother, Marian Van Curen; mother-in-law, Shirley French; and father-in-law, Ray Chilson.