Firefighter, former track champion Tarr Smith dies

Sheila Tarr Smith, "a shooting star" to members of the Clark County Fire Department as one of the first female firefighters, and UNLV's first national champion in intercollegiate athletics, died early Saturday of a rare neurological disorder, leaving a hole in the hearts of those who knew her.

"I've been around quite a while and I have never seen a death affecting the rank and file of the entire department," said fire department spokesman Steve La-Sky, who had known Tarr Smith since their days at Bonanza High School.

Tarr Smith, 34, died at 4 a.m. Saturday at University Medical Center. Her exact cause of death has not been released at the request of her family, La-Sky said.

"They are referring to it has a long-term illness affecting her nervous system," La-Sky said, comparing the disease to multiple sclerosis. "She didn't die from it, but from complications related to the disease. Her body got an infection and couldn't fight it off so her body just shut down."

According to La-Sky, Tarr Smith was diagnosed 18 months ago with the affliction and was hospitalized a week ago. La-Sky spoke with her just a few months ago and they discussed her plans to return to her position as a C-Platoon firefighter. She returned to her position at the beginning of the summer, after a year of treatments.

"She was real optimistic about her chances for recovery," he said. "She had every hope of returning. She was such a positive person."

He describes her as well liked, with an affectionate attitude toward her co-workers. Her death has had a heightened effect on the fire department because her husband, Steve, is a battalion chief.

"This has had such an impact because it is like a family within a family," La-Sky said. "We are still functioning 100 percent but people are pretty shook up. She will be a big loss to the fire department, and also to the community because she was quite a lady."

Al McDaniel, former track coach at UNLV, where Tarr Smith was the 1984 NCAA heptathlon champion in the Division I-A Track and Field Championships, has also felt the loss of such an important figure in the history of UNLV athletics.

"I had know her since her high-school days, when I recruited her from Bonanza," he said. "She was outstanding, one of the top athletes to come from Las Vegas high schools. Her impact on UNLV athletics is that by being the first national champion, she set the tone for the whole program."

After graduating from Bonanza High School in 1983, Tarr Smith attended UNLV, where in addition to earning the title of national champion, she was NCAA heptathlon runner-up in 1985, named UNLV's most valuable athlete in 1985 and held a UNLV record in shot put. Her national championship title earned her inductions into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. Her determination and hard work almost earned her a place in the Olympics.

Tarr Smith attempted to make the U.S. Olympic team that competed in Los Angeles in 1984 where she finished 11th. In 1988 she tried again, attempting to make the U.S. Olympic team that would compete in Seoul, South Korea. But due to an injury, that dream fell short of her grasp, McDaniel said.

"She had a great work ethic," he said. "She did everything we asked her to do in training, even some extra things on her own. Even though she was such a superior athlete, she was always willing to help other athletes out.

"She was the kind of person you find every once in a while. She was one of those people that fit the criteria; she was an all-around great individual in the classroom, on the field and in her personal life."

La-Sky mirrors McDaniel's emotions, emphasizing the loss he and the department feels.

"She was one of those people who come along once in a lifetime. Her death will affect us very badly for a long time."

Palm Mortuary is handling arrangements for the funeral with full department honors tentatively scheduled for later this week, La-Sky said.

archive