More than 800 crowd church to say final goodbye to Travis Smith

By Deb McKee

TERRE HAUTE — More than 800 mourners said goodbye to Travis Smith on Wednesday during a funeral service for the golf standout from Terre Haute.

Some said they imagined the 19-year-old now on a golf course in heaven.

The Mass of Christian Burial, which had to be moved from St. Joseph church to larger St. Benedict church to accommodate the mourners, focused not only on Smith’s multiple athletic accomplishments, but also on his character as a loving friend, brother, son and teammate. The Rev. Richard Kaley of St. Joseph parish celebrated the Mass.

Smith died Saturday in Muncie when the car he was riding in struck another vehicle, only a few blocks from the Ball State University campus, where he was a freshman.

Smith graduated from Terre Haute South Vigo High School in 2006 after setting every school record in golf. His awards and achievements in the sport made him a hero to younger teammates and friends. Smith also played basketball while in high school. A Travis Smith Endowment Fund has been established at the Terre Haute Boys & Girls Club to provide opportunities for underprivileged children. Smith was a member and volunteer at the club.

“He loved those kids and his love is being shown through the endowment,” Kaley said.

One of the pallbearers was Smith’s best friend, Greg Oden, formerly of Terre Haute. Oden traveled from Columbus, Ohio, where he plays basketball for Ohio State University, to attend the service.

Family, friends, teammates, coaches and dozens of young athletes squeezed into the sanctuary, filling every space, including the altar, the balcony and steps leading to the altar. Young men and women in Terre Haute South letter jackets sat together in the immense church, many still looking stunned.

Musical offerings included “Amazing Grace” and “On Eagle’s Wings.”

Kaley read a passage from the Book of Lamentations in the Old Testament, quoting, “My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is: I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the Lord … Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me.”

The priest said while those words “go straight to the core” for many over the loss of Smith, no one was to blame for the accident that took the young man’s life. Kaley encouraged friends and family to honor Smith by “being better to others … Travis treated everyone the same … and he never walked out of the house without saying ‘I love you.’ ”

Smith’s parents, Jimmy and Tami Smith, and Travis’ younger sister Courtney gathered around his casket one last time, leaning over to kiss him and say goodbye. Ball State golf coach Mike Fleck presented the family with a Ball State University letter jacket in honor of Travis.

If there was a theme to the service, it was that Travis Smith was a terrific friend, brother, son and teammate whose heart had room for everyone.

“He had such a short life, but he touched so many lives,” Jimmy Smith said after his son was laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery. “My kid was so special to me; I was so fortunate to have him for 19 years.”

Pointing to his own heart, Jimmy added, “Travis – he’s right there.”

Deb McKee can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.mckee@tribstar.com.

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