Kenneth Rogers Smith, age 81 of Marshall, Illinois, went to be with his Heavenly Father on March 12, 2026, at his home, while surrounded by his loving family.He was born November 6, 1944, to Warren Curtis and Cecile May (Sanders) Smith. They preceded him in death, along with his brothers Harold, Gerald and George, and his sister Lura Wilson. Ken is survived by his loving wife of nearly 59 years, Aleta Kay Smith; his son, Curtis Neal (Lynn) Smith of Marshall, Illinois; his daughter, Chaundra Kay Smith of Decatur, Illinois; and an adopted daughter, Janet Peacock of Decatur, Illinois. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Vanessa Kay Smith (Jordan Matzke) of Marshall and Nathan Curtis (Kahlan) Smith of Lakeview, Minnesota; his great-grandchildren, Aubree Matzke and Roman Andrew Matzke; one brother, Wiley (Ann) Smith of St. Louis, Missouri; several nieces and nephews. Also left behind his beloved English Setter bird dogs, Max and Abby.Ken was baptized as a young child and became a member of Freedom Baptist Church. As a teenager he joined the Marshall Baptist Church, where he later served as a Trustee for several years.He graduated from Marshall High School with the Class of 1962. He enjoyed playing football and served as Senior Class President. At the age of 21, Ken joined the Marshall Masonic Lodge #133, where he greatly valued fellowship with other members. He served as Worshipful Master twice, once in 1971 and again in 1979. He was also an active member of Marshall Rotary Club. After high school, Ken worked on the Able/Stoelting farm before attending Barber College in Decatur, Illinois. Following graduation, he returned to Marshall and worked at Barny Millhouse’s Barber Shop for six years. He then continued his career at Pillsbury and Midland Glass in Terre Haute, Indiana, and then Velsicol in Marshall. When Velsicol closed he began working at Eli Lilly in Clinton, Indiana. He retired from Eli Lilly in December of 2005 after 27 years of service. Ken was deeply committed to his community and loved the city of Marshall. He served on the Marshall City Council for 12 years and later served as Mayor for eight years. During that time, he worked with a mentoring program for children and served as a mentor to young boys. He also worked to bring the Lakeland College Satellite Campus to Marshall. He advocated for a community park to be located in every Ward for the youth of Marshall. He was instrumental in the rehabilitation and opening of the Harlan Hall Community Center. While his children were growing up, Ken was active in their youth activities including baseball, softball, football and swimming. He was both a coach and enthusiastic supporter. He also served for several years as Associate Guardian of the Job’s Daughters Bethel #85 of Marshall. Ken enjoyed many hobbies, including hunting, fishing, and antique tractor pulling. He was a member of the Casey Tractor Pulling Club and greatly enjoyed the friendships and fellowship it provided. Above all else he enjoyed countless traveling adventures with his wife Kay. Services honoring Ken’s life will be held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the Marshall Baptist Church. Burial will follow at the Marshall Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 12:00 PM until the time of service at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a Memorial contribution to the Baptist Children’s Home in Carmi, IL or the American Cancer Society. Online condolences are being accepted at perarcefuneralservices.com.