Mike Smith was born in Binghamton, New York and reared in North Central Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Mansfield High School in Mansfield, PA. Mike served six years in the United States Air Force and graduated from Commonwealth College of Mortuary Science in Houston, TX. He joined Hixson Brothers in March 2006. He has been in the funeral business for 26 years, most of that time in Louisiana.
Mike and his wife of 25 years, Anita, live in Natchitoches where she is employed with Natchitoches Regional Medical Center. They have two sons, Michael and Brendin, both of whom work for Nabors Drilling.