Patrick Michael Smith

You have noticed a gaping hole in the City over the last few days, and the cause is the tragic, untimely passing of a giant of a man and a pillar of the community, Patrick Michael Smith. You probably knew him. You probably took your car to him at one point or another. He was a part of this community for more than 35 years and never wasted a day. Pat died August 27th at the age of 58, of what appears to be the medical equivalent of being struck by lightning. He died like his father, and his father's father: far too young. In his last moments he was surrounded by his adoring family. Pat was born in Britt, Iowa, hobo capital of the world, to Mary Ruth Murray Smith and Raymond Anthony Smith, Sr. Pat was the fifth of 6 boys and with his brothers spent his childhood on a farm outside of Buffalo Center, Iowa. Pat and his brothers raised animals and various crops, but his true dream was to be a cowboy and/or to live in a hollowed out tree. He never really grew out of that wild fantasy, and for this reason it is lucky that he is survived by his wife, whose continued and we imagine daily refusal to move to a hollowed out tree is the only reason his children were raised indoors. Pat put himself through St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota by baling hay during the summers. At St. John's Pat studied political science, focusing on the strained relationship between the Irish and English. It was during his college years that Pat met his future bride, Julie Ulrich. Julie attended St. John's sister school, the College of St. Benedict. Pat graduated with a degree in political science. He would later add a Masters Degree in Business from Oklahoma City University. Pat moved to Oklahoma with the goal to make enough money to fund a backpacking trip through Europe. After a short stint in construction Pat got a job as a mechanic in a Goodyear shop. He lived in a tent for a while to save money, a fact we are sure he never told his sainted mother. He worked as a mechanic for a while until he had enough money to go to Europe on an open-ended return ticket. His managers offered him a job upon his return, an offer which Pat politely listened to but did not really entertain. Europe was good to Pat. He backpacked around for half a year or so, researched family history, ate lots of local food and drank local drinks - basically what all young people did in the 80s. Just before Pat went to Europe, his girlfriend Julie moved from Minnesota to Oklahoma. She, like Pat's bosses, thought he would stick around the plains for a while. Pat returned to Oklahoma City after a six month European backpacking adventure. He took the job as manager of the Downtown Goodyear store, as it was called at the time, and stayed there until they practically had to carry him out feet first. He used his intelligence, people skills, and work ethic to work his way up to partner, then to buy the other partners out until he was sole owner. In the end he became something of an auto repair shop hoarder, and owned four locations of Pat's Tire and Auto Repair. He was so proud of the work he did and the reputation he and his guys had for honest, good work. In July of 1987 Pat married Julie. The two of them were married for 31 years, 5 children, 4 stores, two house moves, and approximately twelve million old cars. They had five daughters, Lauren, Erin, Shannon, Colleen, and Abigail, and eventually a son-in-law, Joshua Cook, and if you know Pat you know how proud he was of all of them. Pat always told his daughters and everyone else, as his parents had told him and his brothers, "My kids can do anything." He was always a fierce cheerleader for his children. Many people over the years asked if he wasn't disappointed he didn't have any boys; his answer was always different versions of "Of course not." All five girls are daddy's girls through and through. Pat was a great man, certainly, but more importantly there has never been and will never be a man more deeply loved and adored by his wife and children. Pat was heavily involved in both his church and community. He served on boards at Rosary School, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and Oklahoma City Community College. He was a member of several Chambers of Commerce in the metro area. Pat was also the go-to guy for donations to charity and pro bono work for countless organizations in the city. He would repair without costs the school bus that serves the homeless population; he did pro bono work for the van that transports animals from kill shelters to no-kill shelters across the country, in the eleventh hour; he could always be counted on for donations of oil changes and gift certificates for charity auctions. Pat will be remembered for his generosity, kind spirit and gentle soul. Until the very day he died, Pat was the picture of health. He enjoyed an active life and really loved spending time with his family and his community. He and his wife Julie had just entered the "empty nest" stage of their life and it was like they were newlyweds again. As much as he adored his girls he had been looking forward to having his house and his wife's attention to himself. He woke at five every morning and went for a run. He went to the cardiologist in recognition of his family's history of heart disease, the dermatologist in recognition of his own lack of melanin, and the general practitioner just to be sure everything else was going smoothly. Pat was a consummate family man and his wife and daughters know that the very last thing he would ever voluntarily do was leave them. He used his precious last months on earth to travel the world with his daughters, an activity he enjoyed more for the time spent with his children than for the exotic places they went. Many people who knew and loved Pat have reached out, wanting to know where to send their donations. If you want to make a donation, the family has set up a scholarship fund in Pat's name to benefit families attending Rosary Catholic School, a cause close to Pat's heart his entire life. Donations to the Pat Smith Memorial Rosary School Scholarship Fund can be made by check to: The Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma (memo line-Pat Smith Scholarship Fund) P.O. Box 32180, Oklahoma City, OK 73123 or visit the Catholic Foundation website at https://cfook.org/online-giving, memo Pat Smith Scholarship Fund. An Evening Prayer service will be Friday, September 7th, at 6pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City. Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, September 8th at 10 am, also at St. Francis. Burial with be at Rose Hill Cemetery. Because he was so young and healthy Pat is survived by almost everyone he loved, including his wife, his five daughters, all five of his brothers and their spouses, and so many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews that we would need another page to list them all and how much he loved each one of the