Two large posters covered with signatures and well wishes sit near the entrance of Muncie Liquors at Wheeling and Riverside avenues to commemorate the death of a Ball State University community icon.
Chris "Bubba" Smith, the face of Muncie Liquors, died early Tuesday at age 39 from an apparent heart attack, Chris Johnson, Muncie Liquors general manager and Bubba's friend for 21 years, said.
Family and friends haven't received autopsy results, Johnson said, but he thought Bubba had a heart attack.
Johnson said the framed Daily News article from 2003 about Bubba on the counter at the store, "A man with 10,000 best friends," was a memorial and summed up who he was.
"That's as close to the truth as you get," he said referring to the article about Bubba. "It speaks volumes about who he was. He never met a person he couldn't talk to in this store."
Johnson said Bubba was a great employee who never was late, never called in sick and rarely asked for time off. He was supposed to work at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Johnson said he finished restocking the cooler Tuesday and thought it must have been about 5 p.m. and he looked at a clock that read 5:07.
"I got a sickening feeling in my stomach," Johnson said.
He tried to call Bubba, he said, and got no answer. After that he called Bubba's brother and sister. They went to Bubba's house and found his body.
Bubba's sister Angie Johnson said her brother was the most fun person she knew and he genuinely cared about people. She said everybody liked him and liked going to the store.
She said she would remember Bubba's vivid imagination and crazy stories more than anything. He meant the world to her, she said.
People like Bubba aren't common, Angie Johnson said. Students seemed to be drawn to his character, charm and smile.
"I just want to thank all the Ball State kids for being his friend," Angie Johnson said as she began to cry. "He loved to go to work. He loved being there."
Senior political science major Ryan Minton said he felt like Ball State's campus lost an icon. He said going to Muncie Liquors wouldn't be the same.
"He was always in a good mood," he said. "He always had a smile on his face; he always had a joke or a one liner."
Junior advertising major Jake Eaton said going to Muncie Liquors would be weird after Bubba's death. People liked Bubba because he had a great outlook on life, he said, and was always laid back and smiling.
Chris Johnson said working at Muncie Liquors won't be the same without Bubba. Students used to refer to the store as "Bubba's place" rather than Muncie Liquors, he said.
"He's meant everything to this company," Johnson said. "He's been the face of the company for a long time."
Ron Crawford had worked with Bubba for the past 13 years and had spent a lot of time with him, he said. Bubba was a lovable guy who would play jokes on people, he said.
Crawford was amazed at how many people knew Bubba, he said, and people were drawn to his fun-loving personality.
"I'll miss him," Crawford said. "He was a good friend."
Students and Muncie residents have been signing the posters and donating money to help with funeral costs the past few days, Johnson said. He and other Muncie Liquors employees have collected about $70, he said.
One contributor, who asked to remain anonymous, will cover much of the funeral costs, Johnson said. Family and friends are planning a charity event, most likely a concert or golf outing, to cover the remainder of the cost, he said.
Funeral arrangements were finalized Thursday, Johnson said. The viewing will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Parson Mortuary. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Parson Mortuary. Both will be open to the public. Johnson said he expected a lot of students and Muncie residents to attend.
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