Kenneth Raye "Pliers" Smith

Kenneth Raye “Pliers” Smith

May 11, 2023

Kenneth Raye Smith was born on May 22, 1941, in Warren, Idaho. He had a lifelong love of the forest and spent most of his younger life either playing or working with trees. This love continued after moving to the Kooskia/Kamiah area, where he worked in a sawmill. After marrying Linda Marie Hoiland, they later moved to the Coeur d’Alene area where he continued the work he loved. The father of four children, he provided for his family at the area sawmills until that work dried up. He later worked in trucking and construction.

He could often be found in the forest searching for the branches that would yield blanks for his handmade slingshots. He made hundreds of them starting at the age of 8, and made them for more than 70 years. Known earlier in his life by the nickname “Snuffy”, he later garnered the nickname “Pliers” from his habit of wearing pliers in a holster on his belt. He was also known for driving his all-black 1955 Ford Fairlane around the area. He was usually seen without a shirt, often even in sub-freezing weather. Seen by some as a local legend, Ken Smith was an outgoing regular who loved to talk with people. He will be missed.

Kenneth R. Smith is survived by his wife Linda, four children – Juanita, Philip, Sterling, and Jared, three siblings, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He even knew some of their names.