Douglas Allan Smith, beloved Father, Husband, Grandfather, Uncle and friend, has been called home to a Grand Family Reunion.
Born May 5, 1924 to Joseph Fielding and Ethel Georgina Reynolds Smith, he was the 10th child in a loving family. Douglas attended and was a football hero at East High School. He was called to serve his Country in World War II at the tender age of eighteen. He served faithfully and was present at the Battle of The Bulge and the beachhead of Normandy. He returned home unscathed, giving credit to his father’s prayers for his safety and survival. He served in the Northwest States Mission for two years and graduated from the University of Utah. He then started his career at Beneficial Life Insurance as a mortgage banker. While teaching a Young Adult Sunday School class, one of the young ladies in the group caught his eye. He courted and married the girl of his dreams, Roberta Carlquist, in 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. They were blessed with five children: Allan (Mihoshi) Smith, Tokyo, Japan, Janet (Howard) Thorley, Cedar City, UT, Robert (deceased) (Kathy) Smith, Lehi, UT, Sue (Terry) Anderson, Willow, AK, and Valerie (Spencer) Colby, Taylorsville, UT. 19 grandchildren, and 34 great grandchildren.
After Roberta’s passing in 1993, he married Elaine Goodfellow Rose in the Salt Lake Temple, November, 1995. He considered her a blessing in his age.
Douglas served as Bishop in two wards, Stake Presidency Counselor, President of the England London Mission and Stake Patriarch, among other callings. He loved most serving as a Sealer in the Salt Lake Temple. Strong and with a sound mind, he took each calling as the special one. He served even when challenged with ill health and came through as a champion. For many years he kept track of every member of his father’s family. He was so loved by so many. He was a selfless, loving servant of our Heavenly Father with a firm testimony of Jesus Christ. His children, grandchildren, and his adopted family have fond memories of his playful, kind temperament. He was fun!
Douglas passed away May 31, 2021. In a time of grieving, we cherish the times and memories we shared with him.
In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate contributions to Humanitarian Aid of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. at the Forestview Ward, 1111 East Charlton Avenue, where friends and family may visit from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Services will be streamed via Zoom at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89214651693, or by clicking the "watch services" button at the top of this page. A Zoom account is required to access the service.
Uncle doug, sorry to see you pass on. You were a great man and a spiritual man. I enjoyed our relationship. God bless you and your family. Love Marc Myers and family
There is no way to express the great love we have for this beautiful uncle who held all of Grandfather Smith's family together. What a blessing he was in our lives. We are so thankful for his faithful, loving spirit, his kindness and leadership. We pray continued blessings on Elaine, and all of the Douglas Allan Smith family.
Love forever, Vivian and Carlos Adams and family
Sorry to hear of the death of Uncle Doug. He was always so kind and thoughtful. When our oldest daughter Jennifer was in the LDS Hospital in 1994,with leukemia he took time to come visit with us. He also sold us an insurance policy when Bill was going to school at BYU and didn't charge us his fee. And he would phone up after we moved to Ivins to remind me to get information for the Smith Family Newsletter. It was good to touch base with him. My thoughts and prayers are with you, his immediate family. I know you will miss him. We are so blessed to know he has gone on to be with other family members who have passed on. This coming July 18th will be five years since Bill died. I'm sure that Uncle Doug is having a happy reunion with family members who have passed on before him. Love, Emma H. Fife.
We are deeply saddened at the passing of Uncle Doug! He will be greatly missed, my Family looked forward to the Family reunion each year mostly for another opportunity to be with uncle Doug. My brother Mike and myself worked as temple workers at Salt Lake Temple and after our first session we would head over to the sealing office to give Uncle Doug a big hug and tell him how much we loved him. He became like my second father.
Uncle Doug was an incredibly special son of our Heavenly Father. He truly was the glue that held the family close together. He was only 13 years old when I was born. His father, (my grandfather) gave me a father's blessing and gave me the name of "Douglas Smith Myers". I have always appreciated being named after Uncle Doug. Our blessings and prayers go out to Aunt Elaine and all the members of Uncle Doug's family. Indeed, he "has been called home to a Grand Family Reunion."
Doug, Mar Lou and family
Uncle Dough was my favorite uncle. He was always kind and fun. As a very young child, he would take me and Karen out for a treat. He was single at the time but mentioned a cute girl he had met named "Roberta." He has been the glue that has kept the family together all these years. For that alone, he should have Celestial glory. Thank you to all the members of his family for sharing him with us. Love, The Neeley's
Rest in peace uncle Doug. Say hello to all the family up in heaven for me. You will be missed. God bless