Aaron Allen Smuts

Aaron Smuts, beloved husband, philosopher, and cat dad, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2022, at the age of 46.

Aaron was born in Houston, Texas, in 1975, but lived all over the United States, mainly in pursuit of education and intellectual inquiry. For the last twelve years he was Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rhode Island College and called Providence home. His favorite thing about Rhode Island was the beautiful summers and falls. He loved spending a long day on the beach in Watch Hill and then coming home to pick fresh tomatoes from his garden. He was a great carpenter, cook, pitmaster, strength athlete, and avid movie lover. Though he could be quite caustic, he saw the beauty in everyone and often wondered why we call our generous ideas illusions and the mean ones truth.

Aaron is survived by his wife and soulmate of 30 years, Heidi Bollich, who is heartbroken; his cats, Jack and Little Bit, who are bereft; and his sister and parents. A memorial for Aaron will be held at a later date in Houston, Texas.

In lieu of flowers or donations he would ask that you contribute to organizations that support freethinking and rational thought (he wouldn’t tell you which ones, because he would want you to think for yourself).

I’ll lie here till the world swims back again.