Donetta Rushton Smith

Donetta Rushton Smith, our beautiful, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home in West Valley City, Utah on the evening of March 30, 2025, at the age of 92.

Donetta was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 3, 1932, to Doris Amelia Wilson and Henry Edwin Rushton. She married William James Smith on June 3, 1954. The marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. They were married for 70 years.

Mom loved her church callings, which included visiting teaching and working in the library. She and Dad loved taking us kids on vacation and fishing trips. She would wake us up in the morning for school and ensure we didn’t go back to bed because she had already made the beds. She fed a lot of kids in the neighborhood; they loved coming to our house. After Dad retired, they loved spending time in Yuma, Arizona together and the trips to my brother’s houses to visit them.

She is survived by her three children: Jamie Smith, William J. Smith Jr. (Leslie R. Smith) and Rodney Smith (Jared Benson), four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband William James Smith Sr.

I am deeply grateful for the excellent care and support provided to my mom and I by Active Home Health and Hospice. Thank you Mindy, Traci, Ashley, Hiliary, Mike and Josh. You all did a wonderful job and made my mom so comfortable and loved.

Graveside services will be held at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 N Street, Salt Lake City, Utah.