The Bernie Smillie Memorial Scholarship was established in 2010, in memory of Freeland resident and business owner Bernie Smillie. Bernie passed away in 2000, due to complications from a lung transplant he had received in 1994. In 2005, family and friends of Bernie established the Bernie Smillie Memorial Golf Outing. Proceeds of this outing has helped to promote organ donor support and awareness and establish this scholarship fund.

Bernie was born January 9, 1938 in Saginaw, Michigan. He graduated from St. Andrews High School in 1956. In 1959 he married Sharon A. Call. The two moved to the Freeland area and raised five children. After working as a plumbing foreman for a local Saginaw business for 20 years, Bernie opened Smillie Plumbing and Heating, which continues to operate today.

The recipients of these scholarships should consider some of the beliefs of Bernie Smillie. He believed in hard work, whether it’s using your brain or your hands. Have fun at home and at work. Have a sense of humor. Listen to others and show respect. Give others the benefit of the doubt. But mostly, don’t be so serious.