Kolleen Smith Obituary (1939 - 2020)

Our beautiful mother, Kolleen RaNee Johnston Smith, 81, passed away November 24 in Cedar City, Utah. She was born August 7, 1939 in American Fork, Utah to William Allen Johnston and Phillis Schaub Johnston. She married her sweetheart, Roe Elijah Smith on June 15, 1960 in Provo, Utah, and they were sealed for eternity on June 16, 1962 in the Los Angeles, California Temple. Mom was the fourth of five daughters. She spent her younger years in Price and graduated from Brigham Young High School. She and our dad met in Provo, and after his time in the Army, they were married and moved to California where they had 6 children. Mom was one of the most Christ-like people we knew and an exceptional example of living a Christ-centered life. She attended the temple often, wrote in her journal nearly every day, and held several positions in her church. She was an amazing cook and baker, talented seamstress, quilter, and crocheter, and shared these gifts with everyone. She also played the piano, the ukulele, and could sing an alto part beautifully. Her gardening skills provided fresh fruits and vegetables as well as canned and dried food. She spent most of her life in selfless service. There were always platters of homemade cookies, bread and jam being delivered and she often made visits to those in need taking us along with her. We were always well groomed, not a hair out of place, and she made sure we had a hot breakfast every morning, a homemade lunch for school, and amazing dinners when we returned at night to a spick-and-span home. Mom was competitive and loved sports. Some of our best memories are her cheering for us, or her favorite teams, the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Clippers, all of Southern Utah University athletics, or being beat by her at every game we played. She was a talented golfer and won many awards and she loved spending time with our dad on the golf course. Mom was completely devoted to our dad, and to her children. She gave everything she had, and was spunky, tough, and strong, and endured the pain in her physical body without complaint. She is the center of our family, but we are grateful she is free from pain and reunited with her baby boy Rod, sister Norma, and countless others she loved. She is survived by her spouse Roe Elijah Smith of Enoch, UT, children Del Smith (Lara) of Hurricane, UT, Len Smith of Vista, CA, Sue Winkler (Kyle) of Hurricane, UT, Edy Patrick (Alex) of Siesta Key, FL, Eli Smith of Cedar City, UT, grandchildren Zak, Tia, Brody, Jay, Evan, Garet, Shaney, Brook, William and Cher, and great-granddaughters Capri, Lucy, and Nayvi, and her sisters Paralee Bechtel of Cedar City, UT, Carol Koehler of St. George, UT and Judi Robinson of Omaha, NE. She was preceded in death by her son Rod, sister Norma Lee, and her parents. Special thanks to the staff at Stonehenge in Cedar City and Mike Jensen who cared for both of our parents. A viewing will be held on December 4, 2020 from 5:00-5:45 pm at Southern Utah Mortuary, 190 North 300 West, Cedar City, UT. Funeral services will be the same evening at 6:00 pm. Interment will be in Henrieville, UT under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. Online condolences can be sent to www.sumortuary.com. Live Streaming will be available under Kolleen’s obituary, also at www.sumortuary.com, during the funeral service, and for 10 days following the service. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Kolleen RaNee Johnston Smith, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.