Thomas William Smeed Jr.

Thomas (Tom) W Smeed, Jr passed away Monday, September 2, 2019 in Colorado Springs at the age of 83. He was born December 9, 1935 in Eau Claire, WI to Thomas W Smeed, Sr and Mildred Swenson. As a teenager his family moved to Winona, MN where he graduated from Winona High School in 1954.

After high school Tom attended the University of Minnesota where he was a very active member of Phi Sigma Kappa. He graduated with a degree in business.

Tom proudly served in the US Army for three years.

Tom married Donna Marie Clasen from Edina, MN in Schweinfurt, Germany August 22, 1957. They were married for nearly 51 years before her passing in 2008. They moved to Overland Park, KS in 1959 where they had two children, Cathleen (Cathy) and William (Bill). Tom worked at Patterson Dental Supply as a salesman and then manager. He enjoyed helping dentists (and other professionals) become successful so he started his own management consulting firm, Healthcare Practice Management where he continued working until September 2018 as a consultant and broker.

Tom was a longtime member of Optimist Club of Kansas City as well as many other civic and professional groups. He was so proud that he was a founding member of American Dental Sales (ADS) and the friendships he made there were lifelong.

Other than business, Tom had many other interests. He was a member of the Kansas City Symphony Society and a board member of Arts in Prison. He took his passions for the symphony and working with inmates, combine them, and was able to facilitate getting some of the symphony musicians to play at both Lansing Correctional Facility and USP Leavenworth. He also combines his other passions with working with inmates. He taught a faith-based program, Alpha, he taught classes in public speaking, communications, entrepreneurship, and GED. Tom was also involved with Brothers in Blue as a mentor to inmates both on the inside and out.

Tom was also a very active member of The Table, a small church that meets at Homer’s Coffee House. Many people have stated that Tom mentored and influenced countless people and will be greatly missed.

Tom was preceded in death by his loving wife, Donna Smeed; his parents Thomas and Mildred Smeed and his infant son, Steven Smeed. He is remembered by his daughter, Cathy and husband Mark Fisher of Colorado Springs, CO; his son, Bill and wife Christi Smeed of Cedar Rapids, IA; six grandchildren: Adam (Wendy) Fisher, Dustin (Morgan) Fisher, Ashley (Rudi) Napitupulu, Thomas Smeed, Christopher Smeed and Bethany Smeed as well as his nine great grandchildren: Jessee Napitupulu, Jenna Napitulupu, Peyton Fisher, Jude Naptupulu, Cole Fisher, Clasen Benoit, Nathaniel Fisher, Ashton Napitupulu and Jonathan Fisher; his sister, Phyllis Brown of St. Paul, MN; and four nieces: Pam, Bonnie, Sally and Nancy.

A Celebration of Tom’s Life will be held Friday, September 27, 2019 at 1:30 PM at Westbrooke Church 9777 Antioch Rd., Overland Park, KS 66212 with a small reception following. Burial services will be held at Roselawn Cemetery in Roseville, MN in July 2020.

Memorial contributions may be made to Kansas City Symphony Society 1703 Wyandotte St. (Suite 200) Kansas City, MO 64108 (or at kcsymphony,org) please note “In memory of Tom Smeed” or Arts in Prison P.O. Box 23502 Overland Park, KS 66283.