Auto dealer Smith remembered for his faith

Funeral services for Dick Smith Jr., a longtime Columbia auto dealer and community leader, will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Columbia.

Smith, founder of the Dick Smith Automotive Group, died Friday after years of declining health. He was 92.

Smith opened his first automotive dealership, Dick Smith Motors, on a used car lot on Main Street in 1961, initially as a way to provide for his family, said Brian Smith, one of Smith’s three sons.

Dick Smith had resided in an assisted care facility for several years prior to his death. He is survived his wife of 65 years, Wilma; a daughter, Nancy; and his sons, Richard III, David and Brian.

All of Smith’s children, and now some of his grandchildren, are involved in the business in one capacity or another, Brian Smith said.

“(My dad) lived a good, long life,” he said. “He’s in a much better place today. It’s always a hard thing (to lose a loved one), but we had plenty of opportunities to tell him we loved him and to say our good-byes over time.”

After starting his first dealership, Dick Smith took up with the Datsun brand of cars in 1967 or 1968 and moved the dealership to West Beltline Boulevard, Smith said, where it remained for about four decades before moving to Two Notch Road.

This week, the Dick Smith Automotive Group opened in its new Columbia location at Garners Ferry Road and I-77.

A native of Belton, Smith graduated from Belton High School and moved on to attend The Apprentice School operated by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. in Newport News, Virginia. After joining the Navy, Smith served 36 months during World War II.

When he returned home, Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from then-Clemson College.

An obituary in The State newspaper said Smith served well his fellow man, God and his community. He was actively involved in his church, Crescent Hill Baptist, in Bible studies and prison ministry. He also established a home for unwed mothers in Belton.

“He believed in being involved in people’s lives and letting God lead him to whatever needs he could fulfill,” Brian Smith said. “He was just very open to where people were hurting. That is how he lived his life and God blessed him and gave him a lot of opportunities to help a lot of folks.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Auto dealer Smith remembered for his faith."