Patient Remembers Optometrist Killed By Shark in Hawaii
SACRAMENTO (CBS 13) — A local optometrist who was killed by a shark while on vacation, had a lasting impact on the Sacramento area.
Former patients of Doctor Tom Smiley all describe him as someone who cared about everyone.
I spoke with one patient who had been seeing him at this office in Sacramento for more than a decade. News of his death shocked her.
"I'm sorry that that happened to him. And it's hard because just me knowing him as a patient, I can imagine what his family is going through," said Olympia Zopolos, a former patient.
Zopolos regrets not having the chance to say goodbye.
Doctor Smiley was killed while swimming about 60 yards from shore. His family told CBS 13 quote "His happiness and love of life and adventure never wavered. But his love for his family outshone everything. Not a day went by that he didn't think about what he could do to better the lives of the people around him."
Doctor Smiley's daughter said he has been swimming around sharks for decades and loved it. His death was only the fifth recorded deadly shark attack in Hawaii's history.
Zopolos wants his family to know he was a true friend to each and every one of his patients.
"People that you know in your life, you don't get a chance to see them anymore to say goodbye, and then you read things like that," Zopolos said.
The 65-year-old had just retired this year, leaving behind a wife and three kids