"My dad once told me, 'There was never a day that I woke up that I didn't want to go the the car lot,'" Roumpf said.

But that began to change in December, when Patricia, his wife of 54 years, died of cancer.

Roumpf said her parents had a "special bond," and watching her mom's battle with cancer "took my dad down."

She said he eventually rallied, but a few weeks ago he fell at home and broke his hip.

"That was kind of the event that tipped the scales," Roumpf said.

A little over a week ago, she got a call at her home in Indianapolis, telling her that her dad had taken a turn for the worse and had been admitted to intensive care.

She said he actually improved enough to be taken off of a ventilator and was alert and acting like his old self on Saturday, but he declined and died on Monday, with his daughter by his side.

"He got all the mileage out of his body that he could," she said.

Roumpf wants the community to celebrate her dad, so she is hosting a public memorial service at Wally's Used Cars, 2323 P St., from 3:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Smith is survived by Roumpf, her husband, Steve, and her two sons Ethan and Gavin. Other survivors include a sister and several half-brothers.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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