The light remains.
HYDE PARK -- Damon Lot Smith, a man of extraordinary love, generosity, and devotion to family, died Feb. 3, 2022, leaving this world a lesser place.
Left grieving are his wife, Rebecca Brown Smith, and cherished sons Kimball and Nathan, for whom he was an exemplar of kindness and respect for their mother.
Damon was born May 29, 1974, in Rexburg, ID, to Rex and Sandi Smith, his childhood spent in Fielding, Utah, with four brothers and two sisters.
But it was at Utah State University in 1997 that a new life began with his introduction to Rebecca Brown. Theirs was a love story that was sealed July 10, 1998, in the Logan LDS Temple. Damon went on to earn a commission in the U.S. Air Force, where he served our country for 21 years. His active-duty career came full circle with his return to Cache County as a leader of young Air Force ROTC cadets at USU. He later retired from the Air Force.
In the years between, his family joined him at assignments across the nation and to Ramstein Air Base in Germany where he served as a Foreign Area Officer. There, he was able to perfect his expertise in the Hungarian language, which he first learned as an LDS missionary to Budapest, Hungary. He earned two master’s degrees, including one from the Naval Postgraduate School.
At the time of his death, he was a dedicated Satellite Operator with the Space Dynamics Laboratory on the USU campus. His colleagues were also friends.
His loved ones will remember Damon not only for his skill with artisan bread, but as the loveliest of men, who shared his thoughtfulness and service without reservation. He especially found joy in making people laugh; at other times, his calmness was a balm. But no one was as essential to him as his Becca.
Damon relished being outdoors as a happy camper and kayaker, particularly with his sons. He’ll be missed by his dog Bayern, a faithful companion on all errands.
His surviving immediate family is wife Rebecca Brown Smith, and sons Kimball Damon Smith and Nathan Miles Smith. He loved and respected his parents, Rex and Sandi Smith of Hyde Park, and Rebecca’s parents, Miles and Jerri Brown of Brigham City.
His siblings are Derek (April) Smith; Deren (Tia) Smith; Deven (Wendy) Smith; Heidi (Hollis) Thompson; Heather (Bert) Timothy; and Dalan (Melanie) Smith.
Services will be private.
Although we grieve, the completion of Damon’s earthly life reminds us all: “Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch.”