Phillip Marshall Smart, Sr.
September 21, 1919 - February 8, 2013
Obituary
Philip Marshall Smart
September 21, 1919 – February 8, 2013
Phil Smart Sr., family man, car dealer, philanthropist and civic leader, had business in his blood, but people in his heart.
This beloved Seattle native grew up in Wallingford, and attended Latona Grade School, John Marshall Middle School and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1937.
He attended the University of Washington for two years before joining the U.S. Army in 1941 where he served for five years, starting as a Private, and ending that time of service, which included tours of duty in Italy and North Africa under General George Patton, with the rank of Major. During that time he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for heroism for his part in saving a British airman from a burning aircraft.
Following this Army tour, Phil joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve and served for 26 years before retiring with the rank of Colonel.
Three days before his deployment in 1941, where he would start Basic Training in Montana, he married the love of his life, Helen Viola Williams, whom he reverently called “Precious” for the rest of his life. They honeymooned on a budget of $5 at the Roosevelt Hotel in Seattle, and returned by bus to their Edmonds apartment with five cents left to spare.
Phil was always an entrepreneur and a good provider, starting at the age of seven years old, when he sold the Saturday Evening Post to his neighbors for a nickel.
When he returned from World War II in 1945, he worked at a variety of jobs, before starting his automotive career at Hopper Chevrolet in 1952. From there, he joined Davies Chevrolet in Seattle, selling cars and then moving into a more executive role, marketing for Corvette, Fiat, and Mercedes-Benz with Tad Davies.
In 1965 Tad sold his shares to Phil and three other members of his management team. That was the start of the widely respected Phil Smart Mercedes-Benz business, and a longstanding relationship with Mercedes-Benz that included Phil’s being elected National Dealer Council Chairman three times.
Phil Smart Mercedes-Benz became known for delivering unparalleled customer service, which resulted in its rapid growth. In 1971 he was awarded the BMW franchise as well, which was later sold in 1987.
In 1980 he sold the business to his namesake son, who had joined him in 1967, but Phil remained an active part of the team as its founder. When the business he had built from the ground up was sold in 2011, he remained as its ambassador, working closely with the purchaser Al Monjazeb, and going into work three days a week right up until the end.
Phil’s civic interests were legendary and he devoted a third of his life to service. He often spoke about his “Third Eight” concept, as a way to apportion the day: eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, and eight hours for helping people. Phil encouraged giving back, one-to-one, in any of eight areas of pain which he identified as The Hurt, The Homeless, The Hungry, The Drugged, The Old, The Young, The Unemployed, and The Illiterate. He presented this uplifting concept to more than 749 different groups, reaching 85,000 people.
He practiced what he preached. Boy Scouts of America, Rotary, Rotary Boys and Girls Club, and Children’s Hospital, which he referred to as the “miracle house,” were close to his heart.
His 80 year deep involvement with Scouting began when he was a Cub Scout in the 1920’s. He earned the rank of Eagle in 1935. And Scouting honored him with many awards, including the Silver Beaver Award for volunteering and a Distinguished Eagle Award as well.
He was Scoutmaster in Edmonds for 14 years, proudly pinning the rank of Eagle on 32 Scouts, including his own son. He traveled cross country, leading a special regional troop to the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, PA, in 1957.
His 52 year relationship with Seattle Children’s Hospital began in 1961 as one of first male volunteers. He played Santa Claus for 26 of those years, and always spoke of how much he learned from the child patients he called “his teachers.” As a result of those experiences, he wrote two books, “Angels Among Us”, and “Angels Among Us By The Real Santa Claus”..
He was a member of Rotary Club of Seattle for 50 years and took to heart the principal of “service above self”. He served as its President in 1989.
He is survived by Helen, his loving wife of 71 years; two children, Phil (Sally); Dianne (Jim); five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Doris Lee Dimick and family.
A Memorial Celebration will be held at McCaw Hall in Seattle at 1pm on March 2, 2013 1:pm to 3:30PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Children’s Hospital, Boy Scouts of America Chief Seattle Council, or the Rotary Boys and Girls Club.
For the past two years, while participating in the Virginia Mason Cardio Rehab program, I was privilleged to get to know Colonel Phil. Truly a gentleman in every way. He is missed.
Helen & Diane and Phil Jr.
Sending prayers, blessings friendship and love your way.
My God’s love strengthen you and give you his peace.
We will always think of Phil as a compassionate and happy friend.
We thank God for his friendship.
Dear Savana, Samantha, and Shafer
I am sad that we no longer have your Grandfather around University Presbyterian Church. I will miss him but I know you will miss him more. Mr. Smart has been a very fine man. He always spoke so highly of you all.
I am glad that all three of you have been in the Rainbow Class at UPC. I am still in the class and when ever you are around in the University District on a Sunday Morning I would enjoy having you stop in room 310. It would be good for the current class to meet you.
Sincerely
Mr. Don Deibert
deibertd@hotmail.com
To the extended Smart families .. thank you for sharing the joy, the humor and the grace of your Phil with each and every one of us whose life he touched.
I was so fortunate to meet Phil on several occasions through Rotary and Children’s Hospital. He truly taught us about generosity and service, about loving kindness one heartbeat at a time.
For these years past and as I go forward, a smile is on my face when I think or speak his name, the cherished Phil Smart.
The world has lost a truly wonderful person that gave tirelessly to others. My thoughts and prayers go out to Helen, Phil Jr. and Diane and their respective families.
I will always remember you for your caring, loving ways, for the encouragement and all they joy you brought to us all. Coming right out of high school to work for you those 7 plus years was one of the most pleasant and rewarding experience in my career. Whenever I would see an article in the paper or on the television about all the great things you were doing it gave me such pride to have known you. You will be truly missed our precious friend. Linda
A teacher, a mentor, a wise and loving friend, Phil Smart Sr, has left us and his beloved city, to walk through the gates of heaven into the shining brilliance of the Master’s arms.
As a little girl I knew him as the kindest man, always smiling, always taking the time to speak to me when I went to work with Dad, as busy as he may have been.
As a teen, his words did NOT fall on the sometimes deaf ears of my adolescence, but more so, stayed with me, in action, as he gave me words of advise, or told me how proud my dad was of me, (even when I was being less than I could be). He never said many words, but the words he did use were always from the heart, and meant to move mountains. When he spoke, we stopped and listened, because we all had something to learn from him.
As an adult, I rarely got to see him, as my dad went on to other endeavors, but I always felt so close, just seeing his face on the news or in the papers, at Children’s Hospital, or with the YMCA, you always felt close. (It was always, the fastest phone call to or from mom, hey did you see, Our Phil was just on…) I missed seeing you, talking to you.
I remember how he would grab my hand. That was so special. I have the card from my graduation, and another note he wrote when my daughter passed away. Phil, go hold her, she’ll love you!!!
As you’re teachers (Patients at Children’s) taught you, Phil, you taught us, and your spirit and love will never be lost, or forgotten in this heart, the hearts that you touched, or this city. We will miss you a lot. My heart has a hole in it, but I will find a way to fill it, as you would want me to.
I pray for Helen and the rest of Your Family, as much as my heart aches, I can’t begin to imagine their loss. I WILL see you again. Until then, we will all be held in the safe embrace of God’s warmth.
God Speed Phil,
With a wink and a smile
Thank you for your many years of loving service to the community. From one Roughrider to another a big THANK YOU very much.
To my Elmo Angel…and my forever friend.
It was an honor to be your friend.
All my best to your family.
Elmo and I will miss you…
:o* debdo
As the CEO of Seafair, I am grateful for the year we had Phil as King Neptune Rex (1989). We called him the “Dancing King” and he brought so much joy to the Festival. He loved to tell the story of riding the Seafair float in the Mazatlan Carnival parade, and dancing so much he fell off the float in front of the reviewing stands. Then Seafair CEO Bob Gobrecht almost had a heart attack thinking that Phil was seriously hurt, but Phil bounced up and jumped back on the float!
Thank you for being a tremendous role model for us all to emulate. God Bless you Phil.
Beth Knox
President & CEO, Seafair
You will always be remembered for your kindness and the beautiful stories that you told. RIP
As a fellow Eagle Scout, one who served Scouting with Phil and enjoyed his company both in our visits and on fund raising programs for the BSA and having him speak to our Retirement Community, Mirabella, – all these make for such great
memories and have been such a source of joy and encouragement to me and mu 8 – 8 – 8 life style.
God has blest so many of us, our community, our children and our churches by who he was and what he did shedding a light of love and leadership in all realms
Hey Kid You’re Outa Here.Soup to Nuts,Eight to Eighty(I was Eight when I arrived in Edmonds in 1951 and You were Eighty when We did the First Phil Condit Campout.)Jr’s words still resound as He & I had fallen in behind You our Fearless Leader,not Knowing Exactly where We were headed.Jr. exclaims “Does this Remind You of Something Petie?”And I Respond ” I was just Thinking the Same Thing!” At which time Our Fearless Leader Commands “Hush Up back there.” That was September 18th of 1999 just three days before your Eightieth Birthday and Forty Eight years from the time we first crossed paths.
Sr. you know the Events,whether it was a Camporee or a Jamboree, a Fifty Mile Cycle from Deception Pass to Clinton or the Eagle Badge.The Stradling of the Hump in the Gullwing as We headed to Scouting Events or the Stradling of the Hump in the Corvettes as We head off to Abbotsford or SIR to watch Tad Davies Jr. and Pete Lovely race.Tad in his Porche Spider and Pete in one of Tad’s Corvettes.
The Seafair Parade in which Tad Davies Sr. was the Grand Marshall and You exchanged Greetings only to follow in His Footsteps in 1989.
The many Charitable Golf Events with You and Jr. and Your Seventy Fifth Birthday at Desert Canyon.
The List goes on Kid with Father’s Days,Christmas Days, after A Joyful but Exausting day at Chidrens and Easter.Some at the Tower and some at Diane’s.
Say Hello to Buck and Rusty as Jr. and I are the two remaining Patrol Members of the Original Eagle Patrol at Condit’s Campout.Also Please say Hello to Steve and Lou.
Helen’s doing Well as I check on her like A Good Scout Should.Thanks for Everything over the Past Sixty Two.
Oh Phil,
I have tears in my eyes right now as I learn of your death. I met you at the Washington Athletic Club and will never forget you telling us of “Angel Feathers”!
I am so Thankful for all the good work you did at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the other groups you so happily helped. I thank you for selling so many wonderful cars and for enriching many many lives.
Thank you Phil Smart and I am so happy you are now in Peace, and with God and the Angels!!!!
I wish for your family peace and joy.
Sincerely and with Love,
Diana Lyn Murayama
I interviewed Phil for the Centennial celebration of UP—his story was immortalized in the book Real People In A Real Place. His gentle manner, kind and thoughtful soul, made our interview a highlight of the book. Thanks to Phil, my 3rd eight is full of wonderful experiences in our community. What a grand man to have for a husband, father and grandfather.
Thank you Phil…….for you. MaryLouise
Dear Helen and Phil, Jr,
Guenter and I felt sooooo sad when we heard the news about Phil. We know he is among the many angels he helped and treasured through the years. It was forty two years ago when we first met and started hearing the wonderful stories of your life experiences. Our lunches were the best with the two of you.
Thank you, Phil, for your many kindnesses toward us. Thank you, Helen for sharing Phil with Guenter and I. Our heartfelt condolences to your family.
Fondly,
Guenter and Muriel
it was great sharing the same floor at first hill plaza for so many years with you and your wife
we will miss your smiling face
We will surely miss Mr. Smart greeting us at his car dealership whenever we visited. He always expressed his gratitude to our loyalty and I would like to express the same to him for his appreciation of his customers and helping others. His sense of pride and work ethic will be sorely missed.
Thank you Phil for you many words of wisdom….thanks to you I try to follow the 8 rule you spoke about so many times…
You will be missed but not forgotten
Off to receive the silver star in his crown. God Bless and comfort you Helen, Phil and family.
Congratulation to Phil Smart Sr. on The race well run (1Cr 9:24.) Always comforting to see you when I was a child and pleasant to meet you when I was a young adult. My father TAD Daives II (not jr) always said the best years of his life where the late Fifties and early Sixty’s racing Corvettes and selling Mercedes with you.
We lived in the same building as Mr. Smart in Seattle. Although we didn’t know him socially, except to run into him while waiting for elevators, he was always a lovely man to exchange a few words with. We’ll miss him.