Charlies Frederick Smyser, Jr., age 98 of Amherst, Massachusetts, passed away on July 20, 2023 after a long and fruitful life.  Charles was born on May 25, 1925 to Charles, Sr., and Gladys (Thomson) Smyser in Baltimore, Maryland.  Charles attended high school at the private Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, followed by a BS at the University of Maryland and an MS in Bacteriology from the University of Connecticut in 1952.  After graduation he came to the University of Massachusetts as an associate professor of microbiology in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.  There he was principally responsible for the State testing program for avian diseases.  After retirement in 1987 he continued part-time in the same role for another fifteen years.

In 1955 he married Jean Elizabeth Pruyne, originally of Pittsfield.  They went on have four children, David (1955 to 1998), Jonathan, Robert (Bridget) and Cheryl Roberts.  He will be missed by his four grandchildren, Kacey (Austin) Snape, Jordyn Roberts, Tristan and Kieran Smyser, and two great-grandchildren, Sydney and Charles Snape.  

Over the years, Charlie had many interests, including making furniture, maple sugaring, and long walks to town and around the neighborhood.  He was active in Boy Scouts and volunteered for the North Congregational Church in Amherst.  He drove for a time with his son’s business, Dave’s Taxi Service. He was a loyal fan of Baltimore sports teams, and a reliable presence in his yellow “game day” socks at his granddaughters field hockey and basketball games.  

Calling Hours on Thursday, July 27 from 5 to 7 pm.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday July 28 at 11 am at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst. 

MEMORIAL GUESTBOOK AT www.douglassfuneral.com