Kellogg auto dealer Dave Smith, who built a tiny Silver Valley auto dealership into a regional powerhouse, has drowned while on a Caribbean vacation.
Smith, 58, won the trip from the Chevrolet Motor Division for reaching sales goals. On Friday morning, the last day of an eight-day trip, he was scuba diving near Ambergris Cay, an island off Belize, with his wife, Marlene.A son, Ken Smith, who was on the trip, said an unusually swift current dragged his mother and father over a reef.
Ken Smith said a rescue boat went out but crashed on the reef, splitting in two. By the time he surfaced with his scuba gear, Smith said his father was already dead. Marlene Smith, 53, is at home recovering from scratches.
Dave Smith moved to Wallace in 1965 to become part owner of a local dealership. He moved the business to Kellogg in 1970 and gradually bought out competitors. During the 1980s, a depressed economy forced nine out of 10 car dealers out of business and Smith bought all of them.
As a result, his Dave Smith GM/Chrysler Inc., Kellogg, is one of the few dealerships in the country where Chrysler and GM products compete under the same roof.
"We're shocked by the loss of Dave Smith. His is one of the largest businesses in our valley, so everybody knew him," said Merv Hill, mayor of Kellogg. "His name was known throughout the Pacific Northwest because of his business."