Man killed by shark in Hawaii had SoCal ties

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Man killed by shark in Hawaii had SoCal ties
Thomas Smiley, 65, was swimming off a Maui beach when a shark attacked and killed him.

A man killed by a shark in Hawaii has ties to Southern California, as his widow is talking about the terrible tragedy.

Thomas Smiley, 65, was swimming off a Maui beach over the weekend when the shark attacked him.

He had just retired as an optometrist and was scheduled to fly home to the Sacramento area the day after the attack.

Smiley and his wife were married for 42 years and were high school sweethearts from Southern California.

Gale Smiley described her husband as "the most wonderful family man ... loved his kids, loved his grandchildren. The family is taking it really hard because they absolutely adored him. And he lived for his family."

A California man who died after being attacked by a shark while swimming in Hawaii was pulled ashore missing a leg, according to a witness