ELLSWORTH — Thayer Lowell Smith, 88, of Ellsworth, died Sept. 24, 2026, after a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind a legacy of hard work, countless stories, and a loving family.
Thayer was born Dec. 31, 1937, to William Carl Smith and Bertha Lillian Hodson Smith and grew up on a farm near Turon, Kan.
On April 17, 1960, he married Kathleen ‘Kay’ Thompson in Pratt. The couple moved to Ellsworth in 1969, making it their home for 56 years and raising their four daughters there.
Thayer began working for Foster-Van Gundy in 1969 as a licensed land surveyor and engineering technician and was promoted to chief surveyor in 1972. The company became Van Gundy & Associates in 1974, and Thayer went on to serve as the lead designer of rural water systems in Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota—work that would benefit communities across the region for years to come.
After Kirkham Michael & Associates purchased the company in 1990, Thayer remained chief surveyor and senior engineering technician. He became vice president in 2001 and retired in 2006, bringing to a close a career that spanned nearly four decades.
A problem-solver by profession and nature, Thayer had an uncommon ability to fix just about anything. He enjoyed “puttering,” in his garden and yard, loved golfing, fishing, and making his own home brew.
Thayer was famous for his stories, his dry sense of humor and sayings uniquely his. He always said one of his proudest accomplishments was raising four girls with only one bathroom.
He was also, quite simply, one of the smartest men you could ever meet. Thayer always seemed to know something about everything.
He is survived by his wife; daughters Alison Swisher, Ellsworth, Jerilyn McCann, Hutchinson, Tamara Debey (Jeff), Garnett, and Yvonda Freeman (Randy), Great Bend; grandchildren Destiny Herbst (Bryan), Trent Swisher, Scott and Wesley DeWitt, Kaydee Sheets, Jennifer Acker and Haley Ruble (Cody); and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; grandchildren Ambur Swisher, Matthew Swisher and Michael Winkler; one great-grandchild; brothers Glynne and Grant Smith; and sister LuHelen Zink.
A graveside service is scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Ellsworth Memorial Cemetery. A luncheon and celebration of life follows at noon at the VFW in Ellsworth. Memorials are suggested to the Tammy Walker Cancer Center, c/o, Parsons Funeral Home, PO Box 45, Ellsworth, Kans. 67439. Condolences can be left at parsonsfh.com.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Parsons Funeral Home
P.O. Box 45
Ellsworth, Kan. 67439
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Oct. 1, 2026
