Michael Shilling Smelser

Michael Shilling Smelser, 84, of Westminster, passed away peacefully at Dove House on January 11, 2026, surrounded by his family. He entered into the presence of the Lord, following a long and valiant battle with dementia. Born January 3, 1942 in Hanover, Pa. he was the son of the late Samuel E. Smelser, and the late Doris Shilling Smelser, and the beloved husband of Dinah A. Smelser, his high school sweetheart, to whom he was married for 64 years. He was a graduate of Westminster High School, where his fearlessness on the football field led to a full scholarship at the University of Richmond, playing halfback for the "Spiders." In 1965, following graduation, he was recruited by the U.S. Secret Service, and began his career as a Special Agent in the Baltimore Field Office. Mike, rising though the ranks, retired in 1995 as the Assistant Director In Charge of all training after 30 years of service to the agency. During his career, he also held positions as the Assistant Director for Protective Research, Special Agent in Charge of the Intelligence Division, and the Special Investigations and Security Division. He served on protective details of Vice-Presidents' Spiro T. Agnew, and George H.W. Bush, and Presidential Candidate details of Eugene McCarthy, Phil Crane, & Ronald Reagan; and was assigned to a Presidential Special Mission with Nelson Rockefeller to Latin America. His travels on protective assignments took him to six continents and seventy-five countries. Assigned to the Dignitary Protective Division, he protected heads of state including: French President Francois Mitterand, Germany's President Helmut Kohl, Prime Minister of England's Margaret Thatcher, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Soviet Union Minister Andrei Gromyko, Jordan's King Hussein, and Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. In 1984, during George H.W. Bush's visit to the Vatican, he had an audience with Pope John Paul II, receiving a gift of a beautiful medallion. Mike was a member of the White House Task Force on Terrorism; the National Organized Crime Planning Council and the National Security Committee. He attended the Center for Creative Leadership, the Federal Executive Institute and the Contemporary Executive Institute. He was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Senior Executives by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, and conferred the Rank of Meritorious Senior Executive in the Senior Executive Service for superior accomplishment in the management of the United States Government Programs in 1992. He was a long-time member of AFAUSS, the agency of former agents of the U.S. Secret Service. In 1970, a watershed moment occurred in his life. Through the ministry of The Rev. Charles Ellis, Pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church in Silver Spring, he came to personal faith in His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and was later, ordained and served as an Elder in that congregation. Following the family's move to Westminster, Mike joined Covenant of Grace PCA Church in Reisterstown, Md., where his brother-in-law, Herb Ruby, III served as the Senior Pastor. Covenant truly became his second family, where he and Dinah attended for over 30 years. He was a long-time member of Shelley's choir, taught Adult Sunday School, and co-taught the Communicants' Class for new members with Pastor Herb. Serving as Elder for over 20 years, Mike was given the status of Elder Emeritus. In his retirement years, Mike loved playing golf with friends, or walking the nine hole course at McDaniel. He enjoyed creating watercolor paintings, reading on his patio, gardening, yardwork, and long runs in the neighborhood. There were weekly workout sessions with Matt, long walks with Robin, and more travel, including a fiftieth wedding anniversary trip to South Africa and a family trip to Israel. The family is deeply appreciative for the care and friendship Mike has received from his Dr.'s, caregivers, pastors, Dove House Hospice Staff, good friends, and neighbors in the years of his decline, as they walked along side of him through this difficult journey. Surviving him in addition to his wife are daughter Robin Walsh and son-in-law Brian, his son Matthew Smelser; grandchildren Jessica Wilt and husband, Zach, and Mickey Walsh, and great-grandchildren Jack and Charley Wilt. He is also survived by brother, Ric Smelser and sister-in-law, Linda; his best friends in life, brother and sister-in-law, Herb and Shelley Ruby, sister-in-law Nicky Smelser, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his devoted brother, Jeff Smelser in 2024. The family will hold a private interment at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery, with a future Memorial Service to be held at Covenant of Grace PCA Church, with The Rev. Herb Ruby, III officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Mike's memory to Covenant of Grace Church in Reisterstown, Maryland.