Iowa City loses beloved ‘Smiley,’ celebrates his generous spirit

IOWA CITY — When Gary Lee Bloore came into the world in 1946 in a small town near Maquoketa, his mother described him as a “blue baby.”

  Buy Photo

The condition that gives infants bluish skin is caused by poorly oxygenated blood mixing with oxygen-rich blood, sometimes leading to an enlarged heart — like it did for Gary.

“They should have had a blood transfusion done, but they weren't doing that at that time,” Bloore’s little sister Jean Kent said. “So he was just a slow learner is what I called it. School was hard for him. He didn’t like going. He kept begging to quit, and Mom finally gave into him.”

But the family wanted to make sure Bloore could work and live on his own and got him a job in the 1960s in Maquoketa working carryout at Mel’s Super Value.

“I believe he got his name ‘Smiley’ while working at Mel’s,” his sister said of the man who later would become one of the most recognized faces across Iowa City and beyond — known simply for the kindness he freely offered everyone he met.

Despite his educational struggles early on, Smiley in 1970 started taking night classes at Maquoketa High — earning himself a GED at age 24.

“He was so proud of that,” Kent said.

With help from the Iowa Employment Agency in Des Moines, Smiley by July 1970 landed a job doing dishes at Oakdale Hospital in Coralville. On his days off, he’d either walk or catch a bus to Iowa City and the University of Iowa campus.

“He loved being around the college students,” Kent said. “I think in his heart he always wanted to go to Iowa City, but mom couldn’t let him go. She couldn’t handle that. It was too far away for one thing. He was just a little farm boy out in the country. She thought he wouldn’t be ready for it.”

But Smiley eventually got his way — applying in 1971 to work in food service on the UI campus, where he washed dishes in residence halls like Currier, Hillcrest and Burge for 45 years until officially retiring in 2016.

‘People are yelling Smiley!’

Early on, Kent said, her mother would worry — given Smiley’s big heart, both literally and figuratively.

“When he lived in Iowa City, he would hitchhike to come back home to Mom and Dad,” Kent said. “And mom told him, ‘Please don't do that, we'll come get you.’ She said, ‘I don't want anybody to pick you up and hurt you’.”

But Smiley had so much trust in the goodness of others.

“And he did get in a ride with someone one time and ended up out in a bumpy field — so he did get an idea what his mother was talking about,” Kent said. “But they didn’t hurt him.”

Smiley lived in an apartment on Market Street — across from the Hamburg Inn, where he was a regular.

“They were always ready for him,” Kent said. “I did go there to eat with him a couple times, just because I wanted to see where he was eating and see how he was treated by everybody.”

Among Smiley’s favorite activities were athletic events — not just Hawkeye football and basketball games, but high school sports, too, like girls softball.

“He went to all of the state tournaments for softball and basketball,” Kent said. “He went to Des Moines for them and was lucky enough to catch rides with a couple people that were umpires. They would make sure he got to the game.”

Over the years, Smiley became more than a familiar face. He was a fan favorite.

“When you’d go into a ball game with him … you’d walk in the door with him, and people are yelling ‘Smiley!’” Kent said. “It was a fun experience.”

While most people adored Smiley — who became known across the community for his friendly disposition, generous spirit and easy grin — he did run into trouble occasionally.

“Some guy followed him into the house when he got home one night and mugged him,” Kent said. “Had him down on the floor and took his wallet and stuff. He called me to tell me and was scared to death.”

They called police and gave a report — but lost his wallet.

“He had his free pass for his state tournaments in it — so he was very upset, more than the money,” Kent said.

Smiley developed a special bond with the Clear Creek Amana teams.

“They always had a birthday party for him,” she said — usually after a game or tournament in July. “The Clear Creek people would stay there and they would have a birthday cake for him, and one year they gave him a jacket that had Clear Creek on it.”

Known for taking photos and putting them on buttons and hats, Smiley made sure to support the athletes.

“He would be switching them at game time because, ‘I wore the other hat at the other game but now I’ve got to wear this girl's hat for this game’,” Kent said.

See you at State

Diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, Smiley had to move back to Maquoketa in 2019 to live at Clover Ridge Place. And the transition wasn’t easy.

“One day I wanted to take a picture of him there in Maquoketa at the care center,” Kent said. “And he said, ‘No, I'm not gonna smile for you unless you take me back to Iowa City’.”

“He loved it there.”

The community loved him too — with the Clear Creek team once stopping by to visit Smiley in Maquoketa after a tournament. Kent said other residents saw the bus pull up and thought maybe a group was there to sing to them.

“Well, then they all went to the back courtyard, and here it was for Smiley,” Kent said. “So they got a picture of the team with him and signed a jersey for him.”

Recently, Smiley had gotten shingles and Kent said it was too much.

“So they had to put him on morphine to help relax him and not have the pain that he was having,” she said.

Smiley passed away peacefully Dec. 22. He was 79.

The condolences have been pouring in — with many hundreds sharing photos and fond memories on social media.

Rod Lehnertz, UI senior vice president for finance and operations, called Smiley “a true IC feature.”

“Our little town is better for having known him,” Lehnertz wrote. “Rest in Peace Smiley … and please display our pins prominently up there!”

Another woman wrote about her memories of Smiley as a Clear Creek athlete.

“I still often leave my family saying, ‘See you at State!’ which was what Smiley would say in parting.”

See you at State, Smiley.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com