Tod Smith, 60, of Overland Park, died on Sunday, July 25, 2021, at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. Known as Smitty to friends and colleagues, he was a husband, father, brother, manager and mentor who over the decades had owned a small business, coached youth baseball and served as a church usher.
Tod Jeffrey Smith was born June 23, 1961, in Detroit, the oldest of Donald and Mary Smith’s three sons. He spent the early years of his life in Michigan before moving to Sioux City, Iowa. Smitty then attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned a business administration degree, was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, received a varsity letter as a member of the tennis team and met his future wife, Kelley Kirby.
After getting married in 1983, Smitty spent more than 35 years in the alcoholic beverage industry, working in sales and management for wineries, breweries and distributors in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. He also owned a liquor store in Overland Park for more than a decade before retiring last year.
Smitty loved to hunt and fish, and was passionate about conserving habitat for pheasants and elk. He was also a dedicated sports fan, forever optimistic that the Detroit Lions were on the verge of winning the Super Bowl and that Nebraska’s football team was just a year or two away from returning to its glory days. Most of all, Smitty treasured time with his friends, whether at the office or in a deer stand or at the athletic club, where he competed with equal vigor in racquetball and card games.
Tod was preceded in death by his parents and his youngest brother, Lee. He is survived by Kelley, his wife of 38 years; two sons, Mitchell, of Chicago, and Turner (Kristyna), of Lawrence; a brother, Jay (Mary Lynn), of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts; a brother-in-law, Dean Kirby (Amy), of San Diego; and nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life visitation will be held Friday, July 30, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at McGilley & Hoge Johnson County Memorial Chapel, 8024 Sante Fe Drive, Overland Park. In accordance with new guidance from the county health department, everyone at the visitation will be asked to wear a mask. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the University of Kansas Health System, where Smitty received excellent care in his final months.
