Richard "Rick" Phillip Smith Jr.

Rick was born August 17, 1957 to Loretta (Lori) and Richard (Dick) Smith in
Sacramento, California. He was their oldest son along with a brother Michael
(dec), sister Nancy (dec), and sister Kim. He grew up in Lawrence, Indiana and
moved to Florida in his early 20s.
Rick had a strong entrepreneurial spirit and he launched several businesses during
his life. His early work in construction led him to form a tile installation company
and later, a small manufacturing company specializing in concrete moldings. Rick
was a formidable deal-maker, very resilient and could navigate almost any
business challenge. While living in Florida he enjoyed fishing, boating, sailing and
had a love for restoring hot rods. In 2009 Rick and his wife, Angela Chappelear, moved to Greenville, South Carolina
where he developed Uncle Mike’s Junktiques, a resale and online market
featuring jewelry and early American antiques.
For more than 10 years, Rick and Angie were loving and devoted caregivers to Lori
Smith (dec), Rick’s mother, and provided for her needs. They made it possible for
her to spend her later years living at home.
Throughout his life Rick also kept close family ties with his step-mother, Brenda, and helped her complete a memorial sailing journey aboard Wynken in honor of
his father. In Greenville, Rick and Angie maintained the hub of the Smith family meeting
place and hosted many wonderful reunions over the years. Their home was
always a welcome place where they showed warmth, hospitality and friendship to all, including many of the four-legged variety. Rick loved dogs.
Rick truly had a generous and caring heart. Even as his health declined in recent
years, he sought to find ways to provide encouragement and help to others, and to appreciate family.
Rick is the father of Rik Smith who lives in Indianapolis with his wife Elaine, along
with Rick’s grandchildren, Isaac and Asa. Rick also has a son, Tyler, and four
nieces and nephews. He was always thrilled to see or hear from them. Rick’s recent years were challenging. In early 2021, he was in the hospital ICU for
four months, but was finally able to return home in the late summer. The
extended Smith family is grateful to the extraordinary healthcare community in
Greenville and especially for Angie’s devoted care which made it possible for him
to enjoy his new home and be with family for the 2021 holiday season. We will all miss Rick. He showed us a depth of creativity and courage to get
through almost any situation while staying positive. He took the time to care about the people around him.
We plan to honor his legacy at a family gathering in Florida later in 2022. For
those who wish to provide memorials, please consider supporting the hospital: St. Francis Downtown, 1 St. Francis Drive, Greenville, SC 29601.