Donald C. Smith, 67, a retired Chicago police officer, former disk jockey and model railroad hobbyist, died Monday, Feb. 19, in his Niles home. He had been recovering from a series of strokes. In his more than 30 years with the Chicago Police Department, Mr. Smith patrolled Rush Street with a vice unit, photographed crime scenes for the superintendent’s office and dispatched police cars to crimes and emergencies on the North and Northwest Sides. “He enjoyed going to work,” said his wife, Nannette, an editorial coordinator at the Chicago Tribune. “He liked the adventure, the challenges.” Mr. Smith built an extensive model railroad display in his home, and he once took a leave of absence from the Police Department to work as a radio disk jockey on a show that specialized in easy listening music. He had a mind for trivia and was always at least as interested in his children’s studies at school as they were. The Austin High School graduate worked overnights as a clerk at the Tribune while attending Wright Junior College and Northwestern University. He left college to attend out-of-state criminal justice courses and joined the Chicago police in 1955. The next year, he married the former Nannette Hadley, whom he met at the Tribune. Mr. Smith left his position as a patrol officer on the Northwest Side to pursue radio work in the late 1950s, including one job spinning records for the Edgewater Beach Hotel’s private radio station. He returned to police work in the mid-1960s and was assigned to the Chicago Avenue station and later to police headquarters at 11th and State Streets. During his police career, he received three commendations in addition to a unit-wide meritorious service award. At the time he retired in 1987, he had been working in the police dispatch center. He filled his retirement with bicycle rides around his neighborhood and reading biographies, almanacs and history books. In addition to his wife, Mr. Smith is survived by two daughters, Donnette and Claudette; a son, Bradley; a brother, James; and a sister-in-law Marilyn Vocke. He was preceded in death by his brother-in-law Donald Hadley. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Olson Funeral Home, 6467 N. Northwest Highway, Chicago. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in the funeral home.
