Family celebrates auto icon 'Bud' Smail

No matter how large Clarence “Bud” Smail’s business ventures grew, they were always a family endeavour.

“He was not only a business partner, but a great brother,” said Jim Smail, who ran Smail Auto Group with his brother for decades. “In those 50 years together, there were never any harsh words.”

The family is expecting a torrent of well-wishers Sunday afternoon during calling hours at Clement L. Pantalone Funeral Home in Greensburg.

Clarence “Bud” Smail, 81, died Wednesday .

“He was a kind soul who was passionate about many things,” said his daughter, Kathy Smail.

That passion drove his devotion to his business, which grew to encompass 10 auto dealerships with about 400 employees.

“He taught us how to work hard, and that’s how you’d be successful,” said son Jeff Smail, who went into the family business with his brother Mark. “As opportunities came along he just took some chances, and they paid off.”

Bud Smail didn’t think of himself as just a car dealer, his daughter said.

“The automotive industry was so much more to him,” she said.

He was involved in dealership organizations at the local, state and national level, and occasionally traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with politicians and talk about issues important to the industry.

“He was iconic in the industry and the community. Everybody totally respected, admired and loved my dad. He influenced everybody he knew,” Mark Smail said.

He was a consummate people person and storyteller, able to charm almost anyone he met, his brother said.

“Bud was a tremendous joker, he could remember jokes like nobody I ever met,” Jim Smail said.

He embodied the old maxim — “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,” his daughter said.

“He lived that, that was him, he loved what he did, so much,” she said. “He never wanted to retire.”

He was a philanthropist who kept very active in community organizations, including the boards of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Westmoreland County Community College, the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, and the American Heart Association of Western Pennsylvania.

“My dad truly believed that the community that you call home, you live there, you raise your family there, and you have an obligation to give back,” Kathy Smail said.

His business savvy made him a valuable member of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, said Mike Langer, the organization’s executive director.

“He led the way in all of our discussions,” Langer said. “His business sense is well-documented. He was able to take personal experiences of his own businesses and apply them.”

The Smail family took in two cultural exchange students — Heike Milbrodt of Germany and Safway Moubaydeen of Jordan. Though each only stayed for a year, they became like family, Kathy Smail said.

Smail Auto Group raised more than $2 million over the years for Feherty’s Troops First Foundation, which supports wounded veterans, Jim Smail said.

If there’s one thing Bud Smail loved more than cars, it was boats, his daughter said.

He used to take a houseboat around the Florida Keys. He would talk about retiring and moving to Florida, but always came back to his business, Jeff Smail said.

His favorite spot was a cottage on Muskoka Lake in Canada, which has been part of the Smail family for about 100 years.

Relatives and friends will be received from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday in the Clement L. Pantalone Funeral Home Inc., 409 W. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday in the Our Lady of Grace Church, 1011 Mt. Pleasant Road, Hempfield.

Entombment will follow in Mary, Mother of Mercy Mausoleum at Saint Vincent Cemetery in Unity.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Smail’s memory to Parkinson’s Research at the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (PIND), Attention: Justin Meyer, PMHSF 3600 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 or Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Attention: Tony Accamando, Veterans Cable Services Inc., 3591 Ridgeway Drive, Bethel Park, PA 15102.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.