Steven Richard Smith

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He passed peacefully in his sleep in the early morning of January 20, 2025. Our lives were blessed to be able to call this man ours; we did not get enough time with him during his 70 short years on earth.

Steven Richard Smith was born on April 13th, 1954. He was the fourth child of Agnes and Jack Smith. He spent much of his childhood in Pocatello, except for a small time when he moved to Kemmerer, Wy. He often shared memories of that time. Growing up in Pocatello, Steve was often found playing in the neighborhood, delivering newspapers, and moving pipe in the summer. Even at a young age, he demonstrated a strong work ethic. Later, he was involved in the band at Highland High School where he played the clarinet, saxophone, and bagpipes.

Steve put himself through college by cooking in a restaurant and enrolled in the Engineering Program at ISU. He graduated with a degree in General Engineering in 1978. 

After graduating, he was hired at the Idaho National Laboratory, where he would spend his entire career. At the INL he distinguished himself as a man of honor with his strong work ethic, intelligence, patience, and leadership skills. He was instrumental in several core change outs and helped keep the Advance Test Reactor operational. The more technical the problem the more he loved the challenge of making things work correctly. His last position was as a Senior Engineer for the Plant and Systems Engineering Department, and was second in the management team. Ever humble, he referred to himself as” the Deputy Dog to the Sheriff.” After 30 years he retired at the age of 55. Afterwards he received many telephone calls from colleagues about the workings of the plant and went back as a consultant several times.

Steve was more than just a working man. He was an amazing father who was always there for us. 

He could “regale” you with details of the underlying physics after being asked a simple question. He was a terrible dresser (as he would attest to!) but wore his old, raggedy, orange sweats with pride and a wonderful attitude of never caring about what other people thought. He almost always won the race to the leftover cold pizza. A true lover of dogs, he couldn’t pass a vehicle with a dog without his signature bark of hello. 

Later in life, Steve reconnected with Dee, the woman who stole his heart when he was 21. They spent years blending their family, traveling, camping, and enjoying friends, good wine and homemade beer around the chiminea. Throughout his life, Steve continued with his love of cars, from racing stock cars to rebuilding engines and classic cars. He also continued his love of learning by getting into woodworking. For years, all he ever asked for was clamps, clamps, and more clamps! He built beautiful, handmade wood decks, a pergola, and numerous pieces of furniture. Each of his six grandchildren can boast of having an original Grandpa Steve dresser. To sum up a man we all love dearly cannot be accomplished in these few words. We will miss you always.

A celebration of life open house will be held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at the ICCU Bengal Alumni Center, 1601 E Bonneville St, Pocatello, ID 83201 if you would like to join us to remember and celebrate. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the ISU Scholarship program, the ISU Civic Symphony or Tunnel to Towers.

Memories and condolences may be shared by visiting the Guestbook below.