Gary L. Smith

Gary L. Smith, 85, of Lenexa, Kansas, passed away on June 11th at his home surrounded by his loving family. 

He was raised in Montrose, Iowa on a melon farm next to the Mississippi River and moved to Kansas City in 1955. When he left Montrose, he left behind the legacy of his small-town Iowa high school baseball team and its upset of Davenport en route to the state finals; local headlines compared the feat to “David and Goliath”. His Montrose basketball jersey still resides in the local museum. 

After moving to Kansas City, he graduated from Turner High School in 1956, where he also met the love of his life and devoted wife of 67 years, Carrol. Gary and Carrol were married on March 16, 1957. Gary was a self-made entrepreneur, who had a successful and distinguished career in real estate across brokerage, development, and property management. He began his career in 1958 by joining Community Real Estate and later established a successful land development company, and in the 1970s formed Gary Smith & Associates and relocated to Shawnee, where it remains in business today. 

Over the years, he was involved in various business and philanthropic activities, including President of the Kansas Jaycees, and consistent with his love of antiques, CEO of Aladdin Lamp Company. He was also a Paul Harris Fellow for Rotary International, and as part of the Shawnee Mission Rotary Club, took trips to Jamaica to rebuild schools for children. 

He was known for his generosity and was quick to help those in need. He also had a quick wit, hard working character, and often quoted that work is a privilege of life. He loved his life’s work and those he worked for and with, including his employees, contractors, and those he represented for multiple decades; he would often comment that he never worked a day in his life. He was an avid sportsman and outdoorsman, fishing lakes throughout North America, spending countless summers at Table Rock Lake, and hunting pheasants in autumn. Some of his fondest memories were his annual hunting trips to the Pribyl Farm in South Dakota with his son Brian and running the New York City Marathon with his wife at the age of 55. 

He is survived by his wife, Carrol, and his children Scott (Connie) and Brian (Cary). He had four grandchildren, Shannon (Geordie), Brittany (Josh), Matt, and Ali (Alex). He had three great-grandchildren, Logan, Aria, and Sintra. He is also survived by his sister Joyce (Gary). He is preceded in death by his brother James (June).

A visitation (4-5:30) and memorial service (5:30-6:30) will be held at Amos Family Funeral Home on June 17th, followed by a reception nearby. To view the livestream click HERE.