Minister Ronald Smith Has Passed - Parental Rights Legend

A tragedy.  A shock.  Extremely sad news for all who knew this special man.  Minister Ron Smith was one of the best friends I have ever known.  Minister Ronald Smith passed away on Friday September 5, 2008 from a heart attack.  I am still very shook up from this news and will let our readers know more as soon as I get it.  He was such an incredible man and just recently brought the 2008 Million Man March to Michigan.  Minister Ronald Smith was also the founder of the National Fatherhood Summit and was one of the co-founders of the Family Preservation Festival.  Minister Ronald Smith was co-author of the book Cheated.  Minister Ronald Smith was the CEO of Children Need Both Parents, Inc.   Most of all Minister Ronald Smith was an amazing father and husband!

Minister Ronald Smith was actively involved with Michigan House Bill 4564 (shared parenting) and Michigan House Joint Resolution NN (2008) (Parental Rights)

My thoughts are with Ron and his family right now.

Below is a very well known video of Minister Ronald Smith. Incredible speech which I had the pleasure of filming and watching live in Iowa.

God Bless Ron - We ALL love you!  "My brother from another mother"

Robert Pedersen

(Readers can comment in memory/honor of Minister Ronald Smith at the bottom of this page)

From the Family of Minister Ronald Smith

Your Brother in Christ Minister Ronald Smith called Home to be with Yahweh

It is with a heavy heart, and deep sympathy, that I announce to you today that Minister Ronald Smith was called home to be with the Lord. Minister Smith passed away from an apparent heart attack on September 5, 2008.

We are currently making arrangements and would ask you to stand by for further communications with regards to a memorial.

Children Need Both Parents mourns the loss of it's founder and CEO. We praise God that Minister Smith finished all that God charged him with, and is re-united in Heaven with his son Richmond. We vow to press on with the vision God gave him. Everyone here appreciates your love and support through this most difficult of times.

May God continue to shine upon you.

Minister Ronald Smith believed in a proper accounting of God's resources. In our efforts to honor his memory, and honor his principles of stewardship, we humbly request that donations be sent in lieu of flowers. This will enable us to more effectively continue the work God began in him.

Official Announcement from Ronald Smith’s wife, Sherry Shabazz Smith:

Please be advised that there will be two services for Ronald Smith.

Many of you know that Ronald Smith passed away on Friday September 5, 2008.  Thank you for your kind thoughts, considerations  and prayers at this time.

The first service is coordinated by Ron’s sister and mother.  Ronald will be laid to rest in Chicago.  The wake and funeral specifics are listed below.

Minister Ronald. Elijah Smith
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Woodlawn Union Baptist Church
6359 S. Eberhart
Chicago, IL 60637
10:00 -11:00 visitation
11:00 - 12:00 funeral

The second service is a Celebration Of Ronald Smith And His Life. 

This celebration is coordinated by Sherry and will be held on Wednesday September 17, 2008  at 6:00 pm at the:   

Abundant Life Ministries
1725 Division SE
Grand Rapids
Michigan
616-301-2325.

Sherry asks that NO cut flowers be sent.  Live plants are welcome. Most importantly Sherry has asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Children Need Both Parents, Inc.  Ronald did not have medical insurance nor did he have any life insurance.  Again,  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Comments

[Pablo]

Oh, no. This is terrible news. We've lost a great man today.

[William J. Wagener]

Millions of children being injured by Foster Family system,
and legal abuse of Family Court Judges and their perjury
committing minions of Torturors, aka, Child Protective Services.

These millions of children have lost a strong advocate for
Family Preservation, with the passing of Rev. Ronald Smith into
God's Hand of protection on the other side of the divide.

Pray that God send 1000 more to replace him and save the children
from the lies, and destruction of the Evil CPS workers who lie
daily to judges to get the FREE FEDERAL $$ to balance state budgets
at the expense of the millions of children injured by CPS and
their EXTORTION racket.

[Tony Fantetti]

Robert,

I thank you for informing me of this very sad and tragic news. I too am in shock, deeply saddened, and in utter disbelief.

Ron was talented and gifted leader. He was also a tremendous father's and children's rights advocate, as you are well aware.

Tony Fantetti
Ohio Council for Fathers Rights

[Robert Pedersen]

God Bless you Ron! You will always be in my heart for being such an incredible friend.

[Tom Miller]

I'm very sorry to hear of Pastor Ron Smith's passing. He was a very good and valuable father's rights advocate and activist.

I've watched his speeches on the internet and had passed some of them along. I am impressed with his speaking ability and forthrightness. As in the video link you gave above of one of Pastor Ron Smith's speeches, I can only be reminded that not enough other affected fathers even recognise the clear-cut forces ripping them, their families and their kids apart.

Among those who do know and do get the big picture, too many feel it isn't proper to attack or even expose their attackers, those "officials" molesting and gang-raping their families and children. They are afraid this will make us look like "mad dads" or some other label which mass-abusers publicly assign to those who try to out them.

This bullied silence just leaves millions of others immediately open to these gang-molesters and public-funded bullies and abusers. Staying silent, or just refusing to offend or humiliate them publicly, is just as bad as being one of these criminals. Silence and cowardice does indeed contribute to and support their lawless activities.

We should have and show zero respect for those who gang-rape men, women and children, those who are parasites upon families and society. It should not matter what their position, or whether they are ignorantly or maliciously joining in on the most politically popular agenda of our day in doing this.

Trying to win them over with niceness, politeness and diplomacy is wasting time while simultaneously feeding millions more to these family terrorists. They will never stop or be stopped if we don't all follow Pastor Ron Smith's awesome example and start doing that right now.

I also lost a close fathers' advocate friend to a heart attack last year. His friend, his doctor, said it was due to the stresses that the system heaps upon fathers that made the condition progress and happen, even if it may have been hereditary. We consider it another of millions of murders by the system.

Would we respect Nazis this same way? This has grown much larger than Nazism. Yet we are "radical" if we mention that or use so many other historically repetitive and perfectly accurate analogies which all use the same recycled blueprint.

I've seen too many fathers come down with too many fatal illnesses which are much higher in the group of divorced and abused fathers than within any other group, other than maybe among their children whom they try so hard to protect. children have been shown to be truly safest with their fathers, not anything like the popular anti-father hysteria being circulated which drives all of this. These high rates of diseases and deaths are sparked by the constant abuses, torture, stress and government sponsored slavery.

Only two of the many presidential or two vice presidential candidates have even stood up against this plague while the rest prefer to go along with the popular crowd and prevailing winds of the day. They are attacked for this too. No wonder so few of them do stand up for what is right in this new and "enlightened" day and age.

Tom Miller
Chairman, Men and Fathers for Justice, Utah

[Elaine Pedersen]

Although I knew him for only a brief time and met him only once, I have a deep sadness with this news. In such a short time, I felt the immense amount of love, strength, wisdom, and inspiration he had to share with everyone. This is a great loss to so many. His story,Cheated, touched my heart as it must have for so many. He is irreplaceable, but in his honor, I know many others will step up to carry on his struggle for equal parenting. We all need to take some of the love and courage he gave to us and pass this on to others.

[Ken Richards]

Robert,

Thanks for everything you are doing and Ron Smith will be missed by everyone in our movement. I pray the Lord keeps Ron and blesses his family that remains in this very difficult time.

Ken Richards
Iowa

[Nick]

I had the honor of meeting Minister Smith at a Kent County Republican Party meeting earlier this year and I was more than a little impressed.

The man was NOT a Republican. But he came and he spoke and there was zero doubt in anyone's mind that he meant what he said and felt it deeply.

I only met him that one time but I instantly became a fan.

--Nick
www.RightMichigan.com

[Bill Koellner]

Robert, thank you for the sad news. he was truly "your brother from another mother" i only meet him this past January at the fatherhood seminar. i can only feel that his passion for the right's of the children is needed else where. we lost an angel, but not the fight.

[Bessie Hudgins]

Robert, you are a dear to set this up. If I have heard Ron call you his brother from another mother once, I heard him say it at least a million and one times.

Ron was a very special person. He came into my life from no where. I was doing a candle light vigil in my hometown and he sent me his son's names to add to the lighted bags we were placing around our square in downtown. From that time forward it was like we were connected at the hip. We took so many steps together in this movement, and we believed in each other with all our hearts.

Ron loved so many very good people in this movement. He was devoted to his wife and his children.

Ron will be missed, but his legacy will live on forever.

Don't think for one minute that Ron is not still working in this movement for he has given me and so many others a will to carry on in his name.

I love you Ron, I will never forget the shoulder you always lent to me and how we always worked through anything we wanted to do.

Christy says she will never forget Mr. Ron and how he treated her like a real person.

God Speed my Friend, God Speed

Bessie/MeMa Hudgins

[Theresa Martin]

What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind...

~William Wordsworth~

[Robert Littlejohn]

I remember speaking to Ron Smith a number of times about the 2007 DC Rally. I remember telling him about my story and how he listened with interest. I am now reconciled with my son Charlie, but not with Diane. It is my hope that Charlie will learn the real truth and bring Diane around one day.

All things do work together for good. (Rom. 8:28)

[Doug Dante]

Minister Ron Smith is the person I respect the most in the Father's Rights Movement. It's ironic that he died of a broken heart, as he plainly and sincerely expressed the tragic destruction of his relationship with his children, and his ongoing struggles to maintain a relationship with his surviving son.

[Chet]

Great speaker. motivator, communicator, organizer, supporter, father, husband, minister, amd etc. You will be greatly missed and I will look you up when i enter the pearly gates.

God Bless you and my prayers are with you and your family and friends.

Chet

[Richard Postma]

MInister Ron Smith's life is an inspiration to fight for the rights of those who cannot fight for themselves: children.

He is missed.

Rich

[Carol Rhodes]

Pastor Ron Smith was a man whose talent, charisma, leadership and voice for America will be sorely missed. He was a friend, a hero and a personality who will never be replaced nor forgotten. It seems like it was only yesterday when his vibrant and passionate voice rang out over the airwaves... I'm so thankful that he wrote and published his book just in time to immortalize his life and ordeals for the benefit and inspiration of thousands of others who will be blessed by the man we so dearly remember as our own Ron Smith.

[Pastor William Lee]

It is with great saddness that I learned of this news today! Minister Smith visited the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist in Grand Rapids, MI on a number of occasions. He was a joy and delight! He will be greatly missed, however as believers we are not without hope!

The Bible says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

May the Lord continue to bless the "good work" that he started.

Pastor William Lee
Senior Pastor
Bethel SDA Church, Grand Rapids, MI