Gary Smiley was born January 18, 1948, to Wilmer and Jessie Smiley in West Chester, PA. Gary was welcomed by big ‘sis’ Nevelyn. Growing up he loved riding bikes and playing sports – especially baseball which he played into adulthood with his slow pitch softball team. Gary cited his favorite school subjects as math, art and recess and he was known as the ‘class clown’ growing up (not a surprise to anyone who knew Gary later in life). When Gary’s mother passed in 1964, Gary moved to live with Nevelyn in Las Vegas, NV where he graduated from Las Vegas High School.
Gary enlisted in the United States Army in 1966. He served in the 101st Airborne Division which included one tour of duty in Vietnam. He then joined the National Guard and served as a Drill Master based in Junction City, KS until he was honorably discharged in November 1973.
Following his service in the military, Gary attended The University of Texas. He married Mary Hall in Salina, KS, and adopted her son Jeff. They later welcomed daughter Jill Renee in 1978. Gary’s professional career was in sales engineering where he excelled in sales and supporting his peers, working for several companies including Gates Rubber, Garlock Rubber and Trelleborg.
Gary met his partner in life, Teresa Taylor, in 1988. They were married in 1990 and brought out the best in each other, combining their love for family, sports and their respective careers for the 33 years they were married You could find Gary on his bike a good portion of his time. He regularly rode RAGBRAI where he was always the first of the group to arrive to the overnight towns, standing on the left hand side of the road hailing the rest of the family riders as they arrived. Being a strong rider he challenged himself with riding the Copper Triangle, Tour of the Moon and the Hotter’N Hell Hundred to name just a few. He manned the biking leg for the annual ‘Tres Amigos Mas Tequila’ brother-in-law triathlon team which was always a top contender in the Trifest for MS each Fall. Gary was also an avid skier and golfer, ultimately making Windsor, CO his home so that he could be close to the slopes and maximize his golfing months.
Sports was central to Gary’s life. He lived it with biking, golf and skiing but also loved watching and celebrating with his teams. You could find him at KC Royals games in the summer – with a highlight of his being able to go to games during their 2015 World Series run. He would always do an advance check on them by going to Surprise AZ for Spring Training. This also allowed him to get a leg up on his golf game and enjoy a few PB&J sliders at one of his favorite haunts, Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers. You could find him at KC Chiefs and K-State games in the Fall (going through more than a few boxes of Hothands for the freezing games in winter too). Highland Meadows Golf Course was a frequent hang-out for Gary – he not only played the course but also worked as a marshal and hung out in the clubhouse with his buddies.
Gary ultimately was all about family and friends. He made everyone feel that they were special – either through nicknames like ‘Punk’, ‘Monkey Girl’ or ‘Banana’ or through a ‘Booya’ or ‘Boom’ greeting that was meant just for you. He took care of everyone – putting his skills to use in fixing things, cooking in the kitchen (no recipes allowed) and ensuring that everyone could make it to family gatherings. Gary was always thankful for being part of a big family, but what the family all knew was that Gary was the lifeblood of that family – inspiring all of us to be present, to be generous, to be considerate and to make spending time with friends and family your priority.
Gary led a great life but will be dearly missed by those that survive him: Wife Teresa of Windsor CO; daughter Jill (Nathan) Miller of Bartlesville OK; son Jeff Smiley of Overland Park KS; Sister Nevelyn of Puyallup WA; grandkids Aubrey and Tyler of Bartlesville OK; 21 nieces and nephews; a large extended family of sister and brother in laws and a great group of friends.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday August 19th at The Barn at Highland Meadows, Windsor CO. Gary will be laid to rest in St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church, 1 St Bernard Lane, Bella Vista, AR 72715.
In lieu of flowers the family would like to suggest a donation in Gary’s name to organizations that support youth in two of his favorite sports: The First Tee supporting youth development via golf (firsttee.org) or The Dream Team supporting youth development via bicycling (dreamteamdesmoines.org).
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.allnuttftcollins.com for the Smiley family.
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