Roll of Honor
Carlyle B. Smith
Incident
Conservation Officer Carlyle Smith succumbed to exposure after his boat capsized in the cold waters of the Maple River between Bridgeville and Maple Rapids.
He was searching for illegal fishing nets when the boat capsized. He was able to pull the boat, motor, and some of his equipment to shore and then started walking the three miles back to Bridgeville. He succumbed to exposure and overexertion before making it back to Bridgeville.
A massive search was initiated after he failed to return. His body wasn't located until May 11th, 1943.
Officer Smith had served with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-174458D4- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Conservation Officer Smith gave the Michigan Department of Natural Resources 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Lansing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Conservation Officer Smith.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Conservation Officer Carlyle B. Smith is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 10 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Carlyle B. Smith's cause is highlighted.
How Carlyle B. Smith Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Carlyle B. Smith is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Michigan Department of Natural Resources are honored on badge.nw.
