Bob Smith, Collision Industry Leader and Advocate, Dies at 82

Robert “Bob” Lee Smith, a collision industry veteran of nearly five decades who dedicated his career to advancing professionalism, fighting fraud, and unifying collision repair trade associations across the central United States, died March 18 in Odessa, Mo. He was 82.

Bob Smith passed away March 18, 2026, age 82.

Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to noon March 23 at Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church, 12507 Mt. Tabor Road, Odessa, Mo. A funeral service will follow at noon, with interment at Mount Tabor Cemetery in Odessa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Mount Tabor Cemetery Association. Arrangements are by Ralph O. Jones Funeral Home, Odessa. Additional information is available at LedfordFamilyFH.com.

Smith began his collision industry career in the mid-1960s after earning a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri. Over the following decades he became one of the most active and respected figures in collision repair advocacy, serving in leadership roles with the Collision Industry Conference (CIC), the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), and the National Auto Body Council (NABC).

“I love being a part of an industry that is made up of so many diverse segments and is always changing, but above all I am just a consumer that wants everyone to have the knowledge to make an intelligent business decision,” Smith said in 2003.

In 2002, Smith and his wife Margo were inducted into the Hall of Eagles, the collision industry’s Hall of Fame, recognizing their combined contributions to the industry and its charitable endeavors.

Born May 5, 1943, in Mound City, Mo., Smith grew up there and graduated with the Class of 1961. After attending the University of Missouri, he began his career with MFA before joining Shelter Insurance, where he worked for 10 years. He later served as vice president of Ellison Appraisal for seven years before founding Storm Appraisal & Management Services, which contracted with Farmers Insurance and other companies.

Smith was a founding member and longtime co-chair of the CIC Anti-Fraud Committee, a role he held from the committee’s inception. He was a Gold Pin Member of CIC for 20 years and served as chair or co-chair of several other CIC committees, including the Parts Committee, Industry Discussions Committee, and Insurance Committee.

Smith was the first independent appraiser to become a member of SCRS, joining the organization in the 1990s. He was elected as a national director in April 2000 and served on the SCRS board for many years. He also served as chair and co-chair of numerous SCRS committees, including the Marketing Committee.

In 2004, Smith was appointed executive administrator and director of the SCRS Kansas City/Topeka chapter. He later served as executive director and legislative representative for SCRS MOKAN, where he championed the involvement of collision repair professionals in state-level legislative issues.

In 2007, SCRS honored Smith with its Individual Service Award for promoting industry unity on a regional level. He was recognized as instrumental in bringing together three state associations — the SCRS Missouri/Kansas chapter, AASP Missouri, and ASA MOKAN — to lobby legislators and forge solutions to common problems.

“In Missouri & Kansas we have shown that the associations can work together to accomplish many things for the collision industry both with a national level meeting and legislatively,” Smith said at the time.

Smith was elected to the National Auto Body Council board in Aug. 2000 and was reelected to a three-year board term in Jan. 2003. He was elected NABC secretary in Nov. 2004, representing American Collision Network Central on the board.

Smith and his wife Margo received the NABC President’s Award in March 2002 in recognition of their contributions to the organization’s charitable mission. The couple was recognized for their work on the NABC “House that PRIDE Built” Habitat for Humanity project in Kansas City in 2000, for which Margo coordinated local logistics. Margo also joined a board delegation to Montana to visit Camp Mak-A-Dream — a Montana camp for children with cancer — and help develop the NABC’s approach to funding a health center there.

The SCRS Kansas City/Topeka chapter, in which Smith was a driving force, raised more than $16,000 for Camp Mak-A-Dream at its 2002 golf outing, bringing the chapter’s total contributions to $26,500. Smith served as golf committee chairman for the chapter’s annual charity event.

“Our commitment to these kids will live on as long as there are kids fighting cancer who need a place to go to camp,” Smith said in 2003.

Smith was a registered lobbyist in both Missouri and Kansas and served as a legislative consultant with Storm Appraisal and Management Services. He worked on legislation to address steering, underwritten estimates, and database abuse, and testified before Missouri lawmakers on behalf of the Missouri Collision Coalition in support of consumer-protection legislation.

“As a unified industry we can accomplish more, have a better networking base, and expected to be heard on important issues,” Smith said in 2008.

He also served as the representative for the Missouri Collision Coalition, coordinating the annual Missouri Collision Industry Forum for multiple years. In 2009, he was retained by the Automotive Service Association of Missouri/Kansas to assist in the formation of collision chapters and activities across both states.

Outside of work, Smith was a lifelong drag racing enthusiast who owned one of the 50 Super 69 Stock AMXs built by Bill Rodekopf Motors and ran a fuel dragster with Ron Martin. His mechanical skill extended to building motors for pulling trucks and tractors. He also enjoyed fishing and treasured the time he spent playing golf with his daughter.

Smith married Margo Cobb in 1962 in Montgomery City, Mo., beginning what the family described as a lifelong partnership rooted in devotion, humor, and shared purpose.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mart W. Smith and Alberta Dooley Smith; his daughter Kimberly; his sister Coleen King and her husband Bill; his father- and mother-in-law Frank, Ella, and Rhoda Cobb; and his brother-in-law Dan Cobb.

He is survived by his wife Margo; daughter number two, Teresa Bolton, and her husband Rodney; sisters-in-law Patricia (John) Hunn and Mary Ella (Mike) Beardslee; brothers-in-law Sam (Donna) Cobb, Bob Cobb, John (Nancy) Cobb, Jim Cobb, Dave (Janet) Cobb, and Tom (Alice) Cobb; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Memories of Smith and condolences for his family may be left at LedfordFamilyFH.com.