Roe Smith Obituary (1936 - 2021)

Our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Roe Elijah Smith, 84, passed away May 30, 2021 in Cedar City, Utah. He was born November 15, 1936 in Henrieville, Utah, to Robert Earl Smith and Caroline Evelyn Goulding, the ninth of eleven children all with three letter names. He married Kolleen RaNee Johnston in Provo, Utah, on June 15, 1960. They were later sealed for eternity on June 16, 1962 in the Los Angeles, California Temple. They had 6 children, 10 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. Roe spent his younger years in Henrieville, Utah. He was a timid and bashful young man. He lost his father in 1946, at the age of 9, and was raised by his loving mother, with 7 other siblings still at home. In 7th grade Mr. Walter Talbot came to Tropic High School as the principal. He and Mrs. Talbot became a second father and mother figure for him. A few years later, Mr. Lindy Nielsen was hired at Tropic High School, which was later named Bryce Valley High School, and became his coach and another father figure. Roe aspired to be a coach, just like Coach Nielsen. He was an exceptional athlete, winning a league championship in basketball, numerous Utah State Championships in high jump, a Utah State Championship in high hurdles, and many individual accolades throughout his high school career. He was honored with a full scholarship at Brigham Young University for basketball and track and field. During the 1955-56 season, Roe jumped a personal best of 6’8’’ in the high jump, at the time, only 3.5” off the world record. Before his sophomore year, he transferred to the College of Southern Utah, and after one year at CSU, transferred back to BYU. While at BYU, the family of Stan and Lois Nielsen took him in and loved him. It was there he first saw Kolleen over the backyard fence. They only met because Lois dialed Kolleen’s number and handed the phone to Roe. He was drafted into the United States Army, and spent 2 years in Alaska, at Eielson Air Force Base. While in the Army, he was invited to San Francisco to try out for the 1960 United States Olympic Basketball team, and made it through the first 2 days of cuts. After his return from the Army, he married Kolleen in Provo, Utah, and shortly thereafter, moved to California. He continued to play competitive city league and church basketball for many years. Roe was an extremely hard worker, and at one point worked 5 part time jobs to feed his family. He had exceptional hand and eye coordination. He found his niche in aerospace and medical microelectronics. He worked his way into an engineering position, becoming an expert in microscopic resistance welding and wire bonding. He was exceptional in his field and was asked to travel all over the world to design and manufacturing companies to assist them in learning the techniques he developed. After retirement, Roe found a friend in Andrew Milner, paleontologist at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site. Because of his experience with microscopes, and his meticulous steady hands, Roe started preparing fossils at the site, and later at his home. He found great joy in earth history and the fact that these fossils had been preserved for hundreds of millions of years. He was so skilled that many of the specimens he prepared will be placed on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City and the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site. From the early days in California, Roe could be found coaching young men in church basketball. His teams won several stake, regional, and area championships, and played for the All-Church Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1969. His players loved him. He always had a way with older teens and young adults, teasing, encouraging, and offering good advice. As a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints, Roe was known to interview young men in his ward, at their homes, while shooting baskets in the driveway. During the couple years he resided at Stonehenge Nursing and Rehabilitation, he befriended numerous nurses and CNA’s, that he loved like his own grandchildren, and they loved him. While at restaurants he would have the servers smiling and laughing while making sure they were planning on getting an education. Roe was loved by everyone that came across him making lifelong friends everywhere he went. Roe never gave up on anything, and endured til the end, during this most difficult time of his life, with an amazingly positive attitude and a smile on his face. He is survived by his 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, his grandchildren Zak, Tia, Brody (Mackenzie), Jay, Evan, Garet, Shaney, Brook, William, and Cher, and great-granddaughters Capri, Lucy, and Nayvi. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kolleen RaNee Johnston Smith that he longed to return to, son Rod Stanley, brothers Guy, Van, Jed, Lee, Don, and Vee, sisters Ida, Amy, Joy, and Loa, and his parents. Special thanks to the staff at Stonehenge of Cedar City, Nursing and Rehabilitation. They cared for and loved Roe. He considered them his family and they served him unconditionally. We also express our thanks to his friend Todd Eckley, and Mike Jensen and his family, who lovingly cared for both of our parents. A viewing will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2021 from 9:00 to 9:45 am, followed by a funeral service at 10:00 am at Southern Utah Mortuary, 190 North 300 West, Cedar City, UT. The service will be livestreamed at www.sumortuary.com and can be accessed by selecting his obituary and choosing the livestream link. Interment will be held the same day, Saturday, June 12, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, at the Henrieville, UT cemetery. Online condolences can be sent to www.sumortuary.com. Click on link below to watch live stream service for Roe. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Roe Elijah Smith, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.