Hobbs ‘giant’ Charley Smith passes away

Charley Smith, a renowned Hobbsan “giant,” died early Friday, just hours after the company he led for years received the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award. Smith was 78 years old.

His son, Finn Smith, the president of Watson Truck & Supply since Smith retired, attended his death following a long illness.

Mayor Sam Cobb said he first met Charley Smith when they worked together on the project that became the Lea County Event Center.

“Charley was just a kind, intelligent person that had an extreme love for our community and everyone that he came in contact with,” Cobb said. “He was such a gentleman. Charley was an accomplished pianist. He was a dentist. He was a successful businessman.”

After retiring from his dental practice, Charley Smith went to work for his father-in-law, Finn Watson, owner of Watson Truck & Supply. When Watson retired, Charley Smith took over the company. He later turned the company over to his son, Finn Smith, who followed in his father’s footsteps in other ways, too, like becoming chairman of the board of the Economic Development Corporation of Lea County.

According to close friend Jim Maddox, Charley Smith was already practicing dentistry when the Maddox family moved to Hobbs in 1969.

“Charley was very active in the community serving in many capacities at the EDC and in his church,” Maddox said. “One of the things that I think was not well-known about Charley, in addition to all the things he did for our community, was he was the president of the National Automobile Dealers Association in 2004.”

Charley Smith represented all the automobile dealers in the nation in testimony to Congress on occasion, also representing Hobbs and New Mexico with distinction, Maddox said.

“In addition to formal positions in the community, he did a lot of things in the background bringing folks together to solve problems and address issues,” Maddox said. “I think that kind of leadership, those traits, were evident to the national association. He was a giant in our community. He had a mentor in his father-in-law, but he had his own pathway and distinguished himself, his family and his community, locally, regionally and nationally. He was a unique individual and a loss to our community that will be felt for some time.”

Charley Smith also served on the Hobbs Municipal Schools board of education for several years.

As chairman of the Hobbs Public Art Initiative Committee, which he chaired from its inception until his passing, Charley Smith pushed for a number of pieces of art permanently displayed, including the arch sculpture at the public library, the children at play on North Turner Street and the “Who Rescued Who?” sculpture at the Hobbs Animal Adoption Center.

Former University of the Southwest president Joan Tucker remembers first meeting Charley Smith in 1972 when she and her dentist husband, Dr. Burrell Tucker, came to Hobbs.

“That was the beginning of an exceptional partnership and deeply cherished friendship,” she said. “Charley Smith was a remarkable person, a good man, one after God’s own heart. Our family is forever blessed by Charley and Julee, their precious family and their abiding faith in our Lord.”

Tucker said life will not be the same without Charley Smith, whose passing she said was the dimming of a bright light.

“We are thankful that Charley is at home with the Lord, is well and at peace,” she said. “Along with their countless friends, our prayers each day will be with Julee and the family.”

Cobb concluded, “He was very active in our community for many, many years. He will be missed.”

Funeral services are at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Taylor Street Church of Christ with Steve McCleery officiating.

Curtis Wynne may be contacted at reporter3@hobbsnews. com.