AFFTON, Mo. — Timothy Smith, the owner of Patriot Commercial Cleaning and Patriot Industries, will be honored later this week for everything he's done for the community and local veterans.
Smith graduated from Affton High School in 1997 and not long after joined the U.S. Army. He did a tour in Iraq in 2004.
“The war was tough. I lost eight buddies in one day, April 29 of 2004 to VBIED,” Smith said
He left the military in 2007, came back to St. Louis to go to school and try to find a job. Eventually, he started his own cleaning business, Patriot Commercial Cleaning.
“Since 2011, we have hired over 52 veterans and 22 family members of veterans. We've cleaned schools like Incarnate Word Academy, Cor Jesu High School, Switch, St. Louis Gives, just a lot of other properties. It makes up about 30,000 square feet in St. Louis area,” Smith said.
And while he's thankful he made it home from the war, he didn't come back the same.
“So around 2016, I was diagnosed with lung cancer from the burn pits when I was over there in 2004,” Smith said.
He beat cancer three times, but this year, it came back and spread to other parts of his body.
“The doctors gave me about a month ago, they said maybe I have about a month left,” Smith said.
But before time runs out, he had one mission left: to publish his own book. "A Patriot’s American Dream" came out two weeks ago.
“It talks about all my experiences as a kid playing a lot of basketball at Matilda Park, to the Boys Club of St. Louis, to getting to meet the president of the United States, President Bush,” Smith said.
In addition to his cleaning service, he also started a roofing company, Patriot Industries. His wife Terry will take over running both businesses with their two boys, Tim Jr. and Tyler, by her side.
“We've been in business 15 years now, Patriot Commercial Cleaning, and a lot of that is because of the great people of St. Louis, they believe in our vision,” he said.
Now, that same community is giving back to Tim and his family at the rivalry basketball game between Affton and Bayless.
Affton Activities Director Brian Boehm and Bayless Teacher Jon Robards went to school with Smith.
“We're going to donate the game to his GoFundMe page. We're going to be selling his books that he just published. He's so generous to other people that we just want to give back to him because he deserves it,” Boehm said.
Robards said Tim is the most selfless person he knows.
“Tim is a true hero for what he's done for other people, for what he's done for our country and for what he continues to do for everybody, even in his last days. That's what a hero really is,” Robards said.
This Friday, No. 10 will take the court one last time.
“ I've always tried to live life to the fullest. I've been able to accomplish a good amount. Have a great family. So I just say I just wanted to leave it all of the court,” Smith said.
The game between Affton and Bayless is at Affton High School. They're hoping to honor Tim and his family between 6:30-7 p.m. when the game starts. They want people to pack the stands for him.