On March 26, 2022, Donald “Don” Vernon Smith passed away at the age of 85. Don, who spent most of his childhood on a dairy farm in Iowa, moved to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado as a teen and spent nearly the rest of his life there.
Don graduated from Nederland Junior-Senior High School. As the story goes, his graduating class was so small, they were all able to fit in one passenger car when they went on their senior trip. Don earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from Colorado University in Boulder. He met Lynda Woodward at the grocery store where he worked during college. They started going across the street with Lynda’s parents to square dance, and they married in 1959. During their 28-year marriage, Don and Lynda had two children. Chet and Lori remember Don as a loving, reliable, consistent, and faithful father, who parented with a strong, quiet style.
Don served in the Colorado Army National Guard, and he dedicated his civilian professional life to education. Don worked in the roles of school counselor, math teacher, P.E. instructor, football coach, and girls’ basketball coach for the Boulder Valley School District. Several of the players Don coached went on to become professional athletes. Don would say that they did so “in spite of” having him as their coach. Don was fond of trivia. He created a weekly trivia question for the school faculty and rewarded the winner with a single piece of starburst candy. He spent much of his personal time supporting the students and teachers in their athletic and music events. Don retired from his alma-mater, Nederland Middle-Senior High School.
A lifelong music enthusiast, Don played the trombone and guitar, traveled to country music festivals, and listened to recordings of his favorite artists including classical and jazz guitar players Johnny Smith, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, and Charlie Byrd. Radio was a special interest during Don’s retirement. He produced radio shows, D.J.’d for a jazz station, and hosted a weekly gospel music radio program for KGUD 90.7 in Longmont, Colorado.
Don also had a KGUD broadcast during which he read the newspaper out loud for visually impaired listeners. He visited residents at the local nursing home and shared his time and resources with many other people and organizations. Don was an active member of several churches over the years, including Coal Creek Community Church (Coal Creek, Colorado), Nederland Community Presbyterian Church (Nederland, Colorado), Calvary Chapel (Nederland, Colorado), and Jamestown Community Church (Jamestown, Colorado). He taught adult Bible classes and led singing.
Throughout his life, Don enjoyed outdoor activities such as horseback riding, motorcycle touring, cross country skiing, jogging, and biking. As a teenager, he taught one of his horses, “Rusty,” to perform tricks. Don began his motorcycle adventures during high school as a Harley- Davidson owner. He owned three other motorcycles before eventually finding the one he liked best of all, a Honda Pacific Coast. Don was fond of the fact that he rode his Pacific Coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. He was still riding his mountain bicycle at the age of 80.
Don lived an orderly life, and his routines were important to him. When it came to material possessions, Don was perhaps a minimalist. He was also frugal, using duct tape to extend the life of everything from his shoes to auto upholstery.
Don loved his home, which is situated on the edge of the Roosevelt National Forest. Except for the last three months of his life, Don was able to live there independently while listening to his vast music collection and enjoying nature. He fed dozens of hummingbirds each summer, and shared his property with elk, moose, deer, and bears.
Don is greatly missed by his family and friends. Don is survived by his daughter, Laura “Lori” Lynn Peery of Merritt Island, Florida, his son, Chet Donald Smith (Rae Anne), of Sewanee, Tennessee, and his stepbrother, Gene Rouse (Joan) of Coal Creek Canyon, Colorado. He is also survived by six grandchildren (Blake Peery, Hannah Peery, Lindsay Peery Jones, Austin Smith, Christopher Smith, and Brian Smith), five great-grandchildren (Remington Peery, Colton Peery, Harper Jones, Landon Jones, and Layla Smith), and many other beloved family members and dear friends. Don was predeceased by his parents, Edna Stephens Rouse and Vernon K. Smith, by his stepfather, Vernon Rouse, and by his son-in-law, Greg Peery.
A celebration of Don’s life will be held on May 14, 2022, at 11 a.m. Mountain Time at Calvary Chapel in Nederland, Colorado. Virtual participation will be available and is encouraged. For the link to the service, please email cs.services@yahoo.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jamestown Community Church, P.O. Box 65, Jamestown, CO, 80455 or to Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, P.O. Box 3000, Boone NC, 28607.
