Henry Dale Smith, Jr.

Henry Dale Smith, Jr. died Monday, September 8 at Springfield Memorial Hospital after a long illness, in the presence of loving family and friends. He was 74. He is survived by his wife Deborah Klang Smith, his daughter Chandler Klang Smith and her partner Eric Taxier, his three brothers, Rogers Mood Smith, James Christopher Smith and Andrew Smith, and their families.

Known by his middle name Dale, he was born August 9, 1951 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the first son of Henry Dale and Betty Mood Smith. In January 1954 the family, now including Rogers, relocated to Springfield, Illinois, where Dale’s father started the H. D. Smith Wholesale Drug Company.

Dale attended Dodds-Blackhawk Elementary, Franklin Junior High and Springfield High School, graduating in 1969. He earned a B.A. degree in political science at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. He joined the H. D. Smith Wholesale Drug Company in 1974, working first in data processing, then later as a salesman who established several new territories for the company. He went on to hold leadership positions in all phases of the business.

In 1979, serendipity brought Deborah into Dale’s life when she and a mutual friend stopped by his condo unexpectedly to use the phone. They fell in love right away, each telling their mothers after their first date that they had met the one. They wed in 1980. In 1984 their daughter Chandler’s birth completed their nuclear family. In subsequent years frequent celebrations and get-togethers with both of their families continued to deepen and strengthen the bonds Dale so cherished.

Professionally, Dale also served for a time in the 1990s as Vice Chair and President of the J. M. Smith Corporation in Spartanburg, South Carolina, founded by his grandfather. In 1995 Dale’s father elevated him to Chief Executive Officer of the H. D. Smith Wholesale Drug Company after Dale engineered the company’s first acquisition, Texas Drug Company in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dale’s father had done an amazing job founding the company and building it into a solid, profitable and respected business. Under Dale’s leadership the company grew into a nationwide business with over 1000 employees. It was Dale who saw the need for the geographic expansion of the company, and who inspired and led that expansion. Dale’s vision, intelligence, drive, interpersonal skills and integrity enabled him to build relationships that led to successful acquisitions and market expansion. Dale’s passion for the business was unmistakable and was recognized by Ernst and Young, which named him Entrepreneur of the Year of Illinois in 2005. In 2016 Dale won the Wholesale Drug Industry’s highest award, the Nexus Award. Dale and his father Henry Dale Smith (2003 winner) are the only father-son duo to have received this award. Dale retired after executing the successful sale of the company to Amerisource Bergen in 2018.

Dale was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church for over 60 years, serving the church where he grew up in many capacities. He was also a civic and philanthropic leader, serving on the Healthcare Distribution Alliance Board and Executive Committee, the Springfield Memorial Foundation Board, the SIU School of Medicine Board, and the Sangamo Club Board. He and his wife Deborah established the Dale and Deborah Smith Foundation to support their passions for the arts, education, medical research and the natural world.

Dale will be remembered as a devoted husband and father, a wise and generous brother, a beloved uncle and a kind and loyal friend.

Dale’s family offers a special thank you to Dale’s exceptional caregiving team from Stella Vis.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 18, at Westminster Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow.

Memorial gifts may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 533 South Walnut, Springfield, Illinois 62704.

The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home – Springfield, 900 S. Sixth St., Springfield.