# Whatever happend to Herbert O'Dell Smith aka 'Digger O'Delll'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693 "2016-06-18T15:20:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/1 "2016-06-18T15:20:03Z")
For decades he did publicity stunts being buried alive. [Here’s an article from 1979](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19790604&id=LzEoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W78EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6696,1908653&hl=en), one of the last easily searchable public records of him. In the unlikely event he’s still alive, he’d be about 100. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/2 "2016-06-18T15:27:09Z")
This article dated July 21, 2015 attempts to answer the same question: > [@](#): > > I can’t say what finally happened to Digger. Searching for Herbert O’Dell Smith took me nowhere, and you’d be surprised how many people in America are named “Digger O’Dell.” Why, there’s Edwin “Digger” Odell of Abilene, Texas; Allen “Digger” O’Dell of Malvern, Iowa; Charles Wayne “Digger” O’Dell of Lebanon, Tennessee; Loren “Digger” O’Dell of Brookfield, Missouri — you get the picture. For that matter, a popular plant nursery just outside of town on Highway 64 is called Digger O’Dell’s, but that’s yet another Digger (real name: Dennis). It seems “Digger O’Dell” was a “friendly undertaker” character in The Life of Riley , a radio soap opera that aired back in the 1930s, but that still doesn’t explain the curious popularity of the name, if you ask me. > > [Digger O’Dell - Memphis magazine](http://memphismagazine.com/culture/arts/digger-odell/) ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/3 "2016-06-18T23:37:14Z")
Maybe they forgot where they buried him. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/4 "2016-06-19T04:58:59Z")
tracked him down to a tomato patch in Cumming, Ga… in 1979. > **[Aging Stunt Man Takes to Grave for Penultimate Repose (Published 1979)](https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/03/archives/aging-stunt-man-takes-to-grave-for-penultimate-repose-ill-come-up.html?_r=0)** > > Digger O'Dell, who has buried himself as a stunt 157 times in his 63 years, buries himself once again in Phenix City, Ala, and says he will not come out of his 'grave' until gasoline prices go down; career reviewed; illus (M) ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/5 "2016-06-19T05:20:28Z")
> **[Herbert Odell Smith (1913-2003) - Find a Grave...](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48834607/herbert-odell-smith)** > > Born on 31 Jul 1913. Died on 7 Mar 2003. Buried in Lemay, Missouri, USA. I am told Herbert “Digger” Smiths official middle name is Odell, and he was 63 in 79… so born circa 1913 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/6 "2016-06-20T00:55:43Z")
I can enlighten you. I’m watching the Cavs beat golden State, but will post at halftime. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/7 "2016-06-20T12:20:52Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I can enlighten you. I’m watching the Cavs beat golden State, but will post at halftime. 🙂 This is one long halftime.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/8 "2016-06-20T12:52:34Z")
I used to know a guy named Bob “Digger” O’Dell. He was a little odd, but I don’t think he went around getting himself buried. I had no idea why he wanted to be called Digger until my Dad told me about the Friendly Undertaker radio character. I wasn’t familiar with the publicity stunt guy, though. I wonder which one my friend took his name from. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/9 "2016-06-21T00:09:43Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > This is one long halftime.😉 Yeah. And then I had to watch last half, then all the hoopla after the game and then–I was tired. So, here goes. Herbert O’Dell Smith was a pretty interesting guy. Not only getting buried and then dug up, he was first a flagpole sitter. I have access to Ancestry at home(I subscribe) and I pay for access at home to 4 historic newspaper databases. He was born June 10, 1915 to William E. and Mary Alice Smith. He died 23 May 1999 in Dawsonville/Atlanta GA. Buried in Cumming, GA. More in a bit. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/10 "2016-06-21T11:57:00Z")
In prisons in Georgia between 35-1941. Army paratrooper 1942-1944. Ran out on his wife and four kids in 1949. Brought back to Atlanta on warrants in 1950. Abandoned them again 1961. Brought back on warrants. Was mainly being buried 1960-1979. Buried for the last time in 1999. Never dug up from that one. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/11 "2016-06-23T15:35:34Z")
Thanks, all! ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/12 "2016-06-23T17:35:10Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > Maybe they forgot where they buried him. Damn! Knew I forgot something! (Runs out of house with shovel in hand) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693/13 "2016-06-23T17:43:26Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > He was born June 10, 1915 to William E. and Mary Alice Smith. He died 23 May 1999 in Dawsonville/Atlanta GA. Buried in Cumming, GA. [The grave](http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=smith&GSfn=herbert&GSby=1915&GSbyrel=in&GSdy=1999&GSdyrel=in&GSst=12&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=135226329&df=all&).