Bolivar restaurant owner dies at 57

Geoff Pickle | SBJ

Signage indicates the Queen City restaurant is closed.

Courtesy Sheldon-Goodrich Funeral Home

Mark Smith was 57.

• 
• 

Mark Smith, a Bolivar restaurant owner who expanded the concept to Springfield, has died. He was 57.

His obituary at SheldonGoodrich.com does not list a cause of death. He died Aug. 20.

Smith owned Smith’s Restaurant, known for pork tenderloin sandwiches and diner-style breakfast, with locations in Bolivar and Springfield.

Signage posted on the door of the Springfield restaurant, 2808 S. Campbell Ave., indicates the eatery is permanently closed "due to unforeseen circumstances."

A Bolivar restaurant employee who identified herself as a lifelong friend of Mark Smith said a decision on the Springfield eatery’s future has not been finalized. She said Smith owned the Smith’s Restaurant cafes in Bolivar and Springfield, while his mother and father own a location in Collins and his brother owns a location in Clinton. The employee, who declined to be named, said the Bolivar restaurant would remain in business.

"If you know Mark, you know he poured his heart and soul into the business, his customers and his employees. He treated everyone like family," his obituary reads.

The Springfield restaurant, which opened in 2019, took the place of a former Kum & Go. It marked a return to Springfield, as it previously operated at 935 N. Glenstone Ave., according to past reporting.