Marion “Cookie” Cook’s father had several reasons for disliking B.M. “Mac” Smith Jr., the Navy man who met his daughter on a blind date in January 1951.
“I was from the South,” Mac Smith said. “I was in the service, and my dad was a used car dealer.”
But Cookie’s mother prevailed. The following year, the couple married in New York City. In June, Mac and Cookie Smith will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.
Theirs is a marriage that has taken them through the United States and overseas, but they can’t imagine calling anywhere but Plant City home.
Military Bonds
Shortly after the Smiths were married, they relocated to Italy, where Mac Smith served part of his career as a Navy pilot.
During the two-year tour, Cookie Smith gave birth to two of the couple’s three children, Kathy Wood and Marion Smith. The youngest, Debbie Petrina, still lives down the road from them in Plant City, and daughter Marion served as a longtime president for the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce.
When his time in the service came to a close, the family relocated to Plant City. In the late 1950s, the town’s population sat at a quiet 7,000.
In March 1958, the couple bought their current house and Mac Smith went to work alongside his father in the car dealership industry. His father founded B.M. Smith Motors Inc. during World War II. Mac Smith sold Chryslers, Dodges and Jeeps until his retirement in 2001, later selling the 10-acre property in 2012.
“I was at the dealership for 42 years,” Mac Smith said. “I had 10 years of active duty in the Navy, and then I joined a weekend warrior squadron. I stayed in the reserves, totaling 24 years of service. I’m glad I stayed in because of the benefits.”
While working at the dealership, Mac Smith got involved in the community. By the time all three of their daughters were in school, Cookie Smith also became involved. Mac Smith served as chairman of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority and served with both the Tampa Bay Sports Authority and the Moffitt Cancer Center board. He also has served as a former Florida Strawberry Festival president and board member, and a member of the Plant City Kiwanis Club.
Cookie Smith became an active volunteer at Plant City’s Bruton Memorial Library, which she continues to do after 50 years of dedication. Last year, the library named its new reading and conference room in her honor. She is also an associate member of the GFWC Plant City Woman’s Club.
“I loved Plant City since the first time I came here,” Cookie Smith said. “It’s a great place to raise your kids.”
The Smiths attribute both their successful marriage and community involvement to their time spent as a military couple. Besides their three daughters, they are also the proud grandparents of six.
“When your husband is in the service, you learn to be more independent,” Cookie Smith said. “It’s gone by really fast. It’s compromise, it’s give and take. When you see each other after you’ve been separated, you appreciate each other.”
In their free time, the couple enjoys fly fishing with friends. They’ve traveled to every state together, except North Dakota. During the holidays, they throw a two-day Christmas party and invite their friends and family, with 40 people coming each night.
The parties are thrown in Mac Smith’s game room, a spacious den built as an addition to the couple’s house. A Christmas tree and decorations are kept up year-round.
“We’ve had a really nice life here in Plant City,” Mac Smith said. “We’ve been very fortunate and blessed with good health.”
“We make it a point to get out of the house at least once per day,” Cookie Smith said. “You’ve got to keep moving.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.