Well-known distributor and member of the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America Wayne B. Smith, Sr. died Nov. 26 at age 93.
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Smith was born in 1913 in Minneapolis, Minn. He was the son of the late E.J. and Irene Smith. The family moved to Jacksonville, Fla., where he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School and then attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
In 1933 he moved to Charlotte where he joined his father at E.J. Smith Company. He went on to serve as Vice President of E.J. Smith & Sons Company and then Chairman of the Board of Smith Turf & Irrigation Company. Through the years, along with his sons, he grew Smith Turf & Irrigation to over 260 employees, establishing the company as one of the top 100 private companies in North Carolina and the leading distributor in the nation in the turf care industry.
As a leader of the third oldest distributorship of Toro products, he helped to pioneer the golf course maintenance industry in the southeast. Smith was recognized by The Toro Company three times as its Distributor of Excellence, its highest award. He was a founding partner of the Sedco Company in Atlanta, Georgia.
He was a lifetime member of the CGSAA, the Carolina Golf Course Superintendents Association (CGCSA), winning the association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1994, and the Turfgrass Council of North Carolina (TCNC), where he was presented with the prestigious Eagles Award as a leading mentor of the association.
Smith was a founding member of Avondale Presbyterian Church where he served as both Deacon and Elder. He was a founding member of Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, where he served as the club’s third President and the club’s North Course is dedicated in his honor. Additionally, he was a member of Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte and Hound Ears Club in Blowing Rock, N.C.
Smith was a devoted father to his three children as well as a grandfather and great grandfather. In addition to his family, his friends and his business, one of his greatest joys was the 60 years of family vacations in Belgrade Lakes, Maine.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Lois Meacham Smith. He is survived by three children, Wayne B. Smith, Jr., and his wife Cindy; Stephen E. Smith, and his wife Tracy; Judy S. Martin, and her husband Dr. Edward S. Martin; and daughter-in-law Jonnie W. Smith; seven grandchildren, Anna-Lindsay S. Yarbrough, and her husband Ben; Leigh-Christi S. Cooke and her husband Carl; Wes Martin and his wife Anna; Chris Martin and his wife Camille; Jessica Smith, Katie Smith and Courtney Smith and nine great-grandchildren. Above all we give thanks for the life of a man whose example will live on in the hearts of family and friends alike.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Avondale Presbyterian Church, 2821 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC 28209.