Friends, family remember former UNA student

(From left to right) Barrett Parnell, Tabb Sanford, Casey Weatherbee and Adam Sayre hold a photo of Daniel Smith, a former UNA student who died in June while kayaking at Cypress Creek.

Daniel Smith often had a smile on his face, and though he was a quiet young man, his arms were always open to any person who needed a shoulder to lean on, according to UNA junior Barrett Parnell.

Smith, who would have turned 23 Tuesday, passed away June 29 after his kayak overturned on a 6-foot low head dam at Cypress Creek, said officials at Florence-Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency.

The former UNA student, who was last enrolled in the spring of 2010, was a geography major and inactive member of Pi Kappa Alpha. Parnell formed a friendship with Smith, of Cullman, when they were both rushing for different fraternities in 2009.

Smith’s sudden death at the creek, where many boaters frequent on the weekends and in the summer, was a devastating blow to Parnell and others within the UNA and local communities.

“I thought (his death) was like a bad dream, like someone was playing a sick joke on me,” Parnell said. “It was so shocking, but what helped me get through it was knowing I had somebody in my life like Daniel, who changed me for the better knowing you could live your life like he did.”

After Smith’s kayak overturned, rescuers searched through June 30 for his body, which disappeared into the creek after the accident. Lauderdale County Coroner Andy High believes drowning is the suspected cause of death.

Smith, a lover of music, disc golf, politics and outdoor activities, worked for Smith Family Tire, a wholesale business in Hanceville owned by his parents. Casey Weatherbee, Smith’s girlfriend for almost two years, said he was always up to date on current events and would start a conversation with anyone.

She said her boyfriend’s generosity and willingness to help others was obvious to anyone who crossed Smith’s path.

“He did everything full force, and if he loved someone, he loved them to the max,” Weatherbee said. “If you called him for help, he would be there by the time you hung up the phone. He would give you money out of his own pocket. That money could have been all he had for the next year, but he wanted to see everyone happy.”

Weatherbee said she had spoken with Smith, who was kayaking with two other UNA students the day of the accident, on the phone and through text messages shortly before he went into the creek. Parnell ate lunch with Smith earlier that day and said he would have joined his friend at the creek had he been off work.

Swayze Layton, one of Smith’s best friends and former roommates, said Smith was an Auburn fan who loved kayaking hiking, video games and watching football. When he realized his friend was missing at Cypress Creek in June, Layton was hopeful Smith was safe.

“Calling it a shock doesn’t even begin to describe it,” he said. “I kept thinking that any minute now he was going to walk out of the woods and ask us, ‘Hey guys, what’s going on?’ with his smile.”

Parnell, Weatherbee and Smith’s other loved ones organized a memorial concert in early August to raise money for relief efforts at the low head dam at Cypress Creek. So far, the group has brought in more than $3,000 from donations in the community.

The dam was built by the city of Florence in 1980, but officials did not get permission first from the Corps of Engineers. The city was fined $5,000 and forced to place warning signs around the creek.

Mike Doyle, wastewater manager with Florence Water Department, said the dam maintains the water level for use at Florence Water Treatment Plant. He said the dam is deadly and dangerous for canoers and kayakers.

“There are signs that tell you the dam is downsteam and there are also signs that tell you there’s a portage trail,” he said. “There’s a big sign on Cox Creek Parkway that lets people know you risk death by going over that dam. A lot of people do it anyway, even though warnings are there because they want to experience the rapids.”

Doyle is the chairman of a committee to repair the low head dam at Cypress Creek. They are currently seeking an engineer to help reconstruct the dam.