Rodney A. Smith

Rodney A. “Rod” Smith, 63, of Westborough, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 19, 2026, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Rod is survived by his brother, David Smith of Westborough, lifelong friends Fred Heilner of Blue Hill, ME and David Henderson of Falmouth along with college friends Sheril Sprague, Kevin Libby, Bruce Segee and Greg Richards and many treasured cousins, nieces and nephews.

Rod will be remembered for his love of and dedication to his family, devotion to his friends and his wry and witty sense of humor. He was especially popular with the children of his extended family, each of whom had a special nickname bestowed by Uncle Rod.

Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts on March 19, 1963 to the late Richard W. Smith and Olive (Gokey) Smith, Rod and his family moved to Westborough in 1966, where he continued to live for the rest of his life. A 1981 graduate of Westborough High School, Rod went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Maine and Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Babson College. He was employed by Raytheon Company for 33 years in various design engineering and executive leadership positions, retiring as Senior Director for radar development and production.

A private pilot since 1993, Rod had a passion for flying and spent many hours flying his plane with his brother Dave and close friend Roy Jack. Rod also studied Kung Fu attaining the rank of First Degree Black Belt.

Rod was a member and past chair of the visiting committee for the University of Maine Electrical Engineering Department where he was also a recipient of the 2012 College of Engineering Distinguished Engineer award and inductee into the Francis Crowe Society.

After retiring, Rod spent summers in Maine at his beloved home on Sebago Lake where he enjoyed boating, water sports, fishing, camping and visiting with his Maine neighbors and friends.

The Smith Family would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt and Mike Casey, NP as well as the entire team at Dana Farber for the care that they provided and the compassion that they showed Rod during his cancer battle.

His funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, November 7, at the Congregational Church of Westborough, 57 West Main Street, Westborough. A private burial for family will follow at Pine Grove Cemetery in Westborough. A reception will follow the church service, with details announced at its conclusion.

Calling hours are from 4 to 7 P.M. on Friday, November 6, in the Pickering & Son Westborough Funeral Home, 62 West Main Street, Westborough.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Rodney A. Smith to support cancer research and patient care at: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute P.O. Box 849168Boston, MA 02284or via dana-farber.org/gift.