Dr. Carl M. Smolka, beloved son, husband, father, and grandfather, was called to Heaven on October 24, 2018 at the age of 74. Carl is survived by his wife, Virginia Smolka and their children; son Carl M. Smolka, Jr., daughter Keri Smolka Kelly, her husband Edward Kelly, their children Seamus Kelly and Madeline Kelly, son Patrick Smolka, his wife Julia Smolkaand their children Patrick Smolka, Jr., Stefanos Smolka, and Dimitria Smolka. He was the son of Mathias Smolka (deceased) and Clara Smolka, brother of Constance (and Marshall) Rogers,and Gretchen (and Thomas) Thatcher.
Carl was the epitome of a family man and an inspiration to those who knew him for his selfless devotion to being the exceptional husband and father that he was. Carl and Gina recently celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary last month and were a remarkable example of unconditional love. Perhaps his greatest role was being “Pop-Pop” to his five grandchildren, a job that brought a noticeable sparkle to his eye.
His hobbies included golf, fly fishing, travel, and most of all spending time with his family. Carl, a member of Mensa International, valued education very highly and never ceased in his pursuit of learning. He received his Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering) in 1965 from Clarkson College of Technology, where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi Honors Society.
He also received his Master of Science (Electrical Engineering) from Clarkson in 1967. He later received a Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University in 1982 and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California in 1998. His formal education culminated with the earning of a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration from the University of Southern California in 2000.
After his highly distinguished and almost forty-year career at Hewlett Packard, Carl dedicated much of his retirement years as a volunteer with Project Healing Waters at Fort Meade, and Walter Reed Medical Center working with wounded veterans. He was recently awarded the Phil Johnson Exceptional Leadership Award by the Board of Trustees of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing for his “dedication and inspiring service”. There will be a visitation on Friday, November 2, 2018 from 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and a funeral service on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 10:30 a.m., both to be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 4101 Norbeck Road, Rockville, MD 20853.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Carl’s favorite charity, Project Healing Waters (projecthealingwaters.org/).
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