other acquaintances were not surprised at his death . " i wasn ' t surprised , " said george stranahan , a former owner of the woody road tavern , a favourite favourite of thompson . " i hardly expected smith to die in a hospital gown with pipes running out of him . " colleagues have said how his broken foot had prevents him from leaving his house as much as he had liked to . two neighbours and long - standing friend , george expertly , said thompson was clearly hobbled by the broken finger . " medically speaking , he ' s had a rotten summer . "
The Woody Creek Tavern is owned by George Stranahan.