Local angler and wrestling coach Cecil “Kim” Smith, right, on a fishing trip with his son, Darek Smith. [Courtesy photo]
Cecil “Kim” Smith’s favorite place in the world was along the upper Rogue River with the sun on his back, his beloved black lab, Jessie, by his side and a big fish on the other end of his line .
The owner of his own business and a beloved youth wrestling coach, the 62-year-old disappeared near Mill Creek Falls on Friday, July 15.
Smith had ventured out in his pickup shortly after 3 a.m., four-legged friend in tow. Family members say he was looking for a way to access his favorite fishing hole along the upper Rogue, used for years but recently closed by property owners.
Determined to still fish the area with the grandchildren, Smith parked in the Mill Creek Falls parking lot and was never heard from again.
She was reported missing later that night, and search teams, including Smith’s friends, spent Saturday and Sunday looking before Jessie was heard standing by the river, howling and crying a short distance from the body of his best friend
Believed to have fallen off a cliff, Smith likely died on impact and was unhurt, his family says. A lining of honor for those who loved him, his last moments were spent in one of his favorite places.
Friends and family remember Smith as gruff with a sensitive side, hilariously funny and a family man. Tami Serrano-Smith, Smith’s daughter, said her father was independent and sometimes stubborn.
“The really bittersweet part is that my parents’ last argument was because I wanted to go alone. My mom said, ‘You’re not going alone.’ I think maybe two days before, my uncle told her not to go down there. Our neighbor talked to him the night before and said, ‘You probably shouldn’t go down there,'” Serrano-Smith said.
“He said, ‘I’ll be fine.’ If I’m not out of there at a certain time, let the helicopter come and get me.” That’s the kind of thing I would say. He was just having fun and living his best life. But it was such a dangerous area for him to go. We were worried if he went alone.”
Serrano Smith said his father, using the “old way of getting there,” had brought friends and family to the area to fish and camp for years.
“I just wanted to get back to where I was going with my brother, so he parked as close as he could and it was kind of an off-roader,” he said.
“I think for people who really like to fish and camp, there’s that feeling that people get when they’re in a place that no one else has been to. One of his friends who helped him find it said that it was a beautiful place. He said, “When it’s my time, I hope it’s the way I go.”
Born in Crescent City on July 11, 1960, Smith graduated from Brookings-Harbor High School in 1978 and married his high school sweetheart, Kathy. Self-employed for most of his adult life, Smith owned a sand company and coached wrestling at Butte Falls and Eagle Point high schools.
Serrano-Smith said her father spent the past five years caring, 24-7, for her mother, who has Parkinson’s and was looking forward to some time on the river. Jim Mannenbach, a fellow coach and friend, called Smith “one of the good ones.” Mannenbach, of Eagle Point, took solace in Smith’s final moments as he passed by the river with his dog.
“Kim created a lot of very positive relationships with the kids he was around. He loved to coach and had a great sense of humor. He was a great man,” Mannenbach said.
“I heard his dog stuck with him all night, he even tried to bite some of the guys trying to get him out of there. He was definitely one of his best friends and fishing buddies right there.”
Medford resident Courtney Badger-Mack said Smith treated her like family. He took comfort in memories of Easter egg hunts, road trips and videos of “Uncle Kim” building a zip line for the grandkids. Badger-Mack and her husband slept in Smith’s truck while he was missing.
“I know almost everyone talks about him as an avid fisherman, hunter and outdoorsman. I knew the other side of Kim. I could see his softer side, the poems he would write, the crafts he would work on. He helped me with our wedding decorations with his sand and paint,” she said.
“When my husband lost his father unexpectedly 10 years ago, Kim let us live with them while my husband healed. He was there for him every day, making sure he got through. Uncle Kim was one of my favorite people in the whole world.”
Serrano-Smith said her father’s dog, who she teased was her “favorite son,” was healing from injuries she suffered while staying close to her father.
“She fell a lot, trying to get to him. She definitely hurt her back leg and split her lip. You can tell she misses my dad. They were usually together,” she said.
Serrano-Smith said condolences had poured in from the community remembering the coach, fisherman, sandboxer and funny guy loved by so many.
“We’ve had so many phone calls from people just saying that he had made such an impact on everybody’s life,” she said.
“If some children did not have good parents, he tried to fill that role. If there was an elderly person who missed his children, he filled that role. He was always taking care of everyone.”
If there are fishing holes in the sky, Serrano-Smith believes her father has already picked his favorite spot.
She added: “I just hope he’s finally up there getting the big one he’s been looking for.”
Born in Crescent City to Bertha Jean Smith and Cecil Kimberley Smith, Sr., Smith is survived by his mother; three sisters; Debbie Bennett (Bruce Bennett) of Eagle Point, Tami Burnham (Ernie Burnham) of Oregon City and Sarah Smith (Ed Gallagher) of Niarada, Montana; brother, Charlie Smith (Lois Smith) of Brookings; his wife, Kathy Jean Smith; a son, Darek (Callie) Smith and a daughter, Tami (Sandra) Serrano-Smith. He had four grandchildren and a host of others he called his own.
A memorial will be held at the end of this summer. Serrano-Smith said details will be posted on social media.
Contact reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or bpollock@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.
