Whitney Sudler-Smith and Patricia Altschul Remember His Late Dad

Whitney Sudler-Smith opened up about the passing of his father, Lon Smith, in an emotional moment in the July 7 episode of Southern Charm. In a conversation with his mom, Patricia Altschul, he reflected on the loss as he drove her around town.

“It’s been a sh--ty year. Michael [Kelcourse is] not here since the stroke. And then my father… unexpectedly losing Dad was a real horror show,” Whitney said in Thursday’s episode. Patricia also shared her memories of her ex-husband, calling him, “Such a nice, kind, brilliant man. It’s terrible.”

As they spoke, it was confirmed that Lon passed away after a short battle with leukemia. “It was a terrible summer.”

During an interview in the episode, Patricia opened up more about her relationship with Lon. “Whitney’s father and I, we were married for 15 years. We got divorced because he needed a corporate wife doing parties for clients, and I was selling paintings to museums and traveling. But we were always friendly. I adored him. He was a great father to Whitney,” she said. “He was a fabulous man. He was so attractive in every way.”

Patricia recently reflected on the loss while remembering her own father in an Instagram post she shared timed to Father’s Day. “Happy Father’s Day… this is a photo of my father when he graduated from Tulane Medical School in 1909. He was a surgeon and diplomat who became the Medical Inspector to the Far East under Roosevelt. He was the best father a girl could have and I miss him [every day] as I know Whitney does with his father as well,” she shared at the time.

Previously, Patricia opened up about her marriage to Lon in her 2017 memoir, The Art of Southern Charm. Patricia and Lon were introduced to each other when she was living in Washington, D.C., while attending George Washington University. At the time, he was the head of Dun & Bradstreet. The couple worked on their careers during their marriage and welcomed Whitney in 1968. They went their separate ways after about 15 years of marriage.

You can hear more about Patricia and Whitney’s family in the vintage The Daily Dish interview below.

Patricia Altschul Reveals Her Family’s Secrets