Don Edward Smith June 20, 1945 ~ June 21, 2024

Dr. Don Edward Smith was born on June 20, 1945 in American Fork, UT and left this life for his next adventure on June 21, 2024 in Provo, UT.
His parents Harold Alden and Duretha Allred Smith took him home to Pleasant Grove, where he joined his only sibling, Lyman W. Smith, who was 17 at the time.
Don is survived by his wife, JoAnn Dalley Smith and five children: Jennifer (Wayne) Johnson of Blanding, Chris (Brandy) Smith of Salem, Denise (the late Eric) Johnson of Blanding, Stephen (Amber) Smith of Saratoga Springs, and Jolyn (Jasen) Axelgard of Saratoga Springs, 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Don grew up in Pleasant Grove and spent winters in Buckeye, AZ where his parents would spend the winters taking advantage of the nicer weather. Consequently, he attended two elementary schools.
He attended middle and high school in Pleasant Grove. Some of his favorite childhood memories were of running through the fields in Pleasant Grove with his friends and cousins and spending time with his grandparents in Spring City.
Don was always a prankster and joker. Everyone who attended College of Eastern Utah knows of his love of snowballs and squirt guns.
Don attended college in Cedar City and that is where he met his eternal companion, JoAnn Dalley of Gunnison. They were married on September 10, 1966 in the Manti Temple.
After he finished his degree they moved back to Pleasant Grove and then to Provo while he completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at Brigham Young University.
After graduating, he and a friend started a company called Ute Research Laboratories based in Fort Duchesne. They received a contract through the EPA which sent him to Blanding to do environmental testing.
He had an office on Main Street in Blanding and would travel around the Four Corners taking samples. After they gave up that contract, he went to work for the White Mesa Mill as their chemist so that he could stay in Blanding.
When the idea came about to begin higher education in San Juan County, he started teaching night classes for the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) and later became one of the first full-time professors.
Don was famous for his talent of making science and math understandable and entertaining. Many people attribute receiving their degrees to his teaching abilities and students stopped by his office or home for extra help with homework on a regular basis.
Don was involved in the CEU Summer Experience program for many summers and took students on trips all over for learning opportunities.
Don also did this with his own kids which eventually turned into annual summer trips for his grandkids where he passed on his love of science through visits to museums, historical sites and fun adventures at waterparks and Disneyland.
His kids grew up not realizing that everyone didn’t have the opportunity to visit every dinosaur museum in the country.
After 25 years at CEU, Don retired to spend his days exploring San Juan County and tend to his chickens and garden. He was a common sight around Blanding both in his truck and on his 4-wheeler.
Don was always learning and reading everything he could especially about SJC. He was extremely knowledgeable about archeological sites, mining, 4-wheeler trails, geology, and astronomy.
Don made a life out of education and learning for himself and others. Both Don and JoAnn have had a huge impact on education in San Juan County.
Don was a lifetime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and loved to serve those in his ward and enjoyed every calling he held.
His favorite calling was when JoAnn and he spent 12 years at the Dude Ranch as service missionaries.
Don is survived by his wife and children. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother, grandson Joshua Axelgard, and son-in-law Eric Johnson.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 28 at noon at the North Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 255 East 200 North in Blanding.
A Visitation will be held prior to the service from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Interment will take place in the Blanding City Cemetery.