Arthur Yates Smith

Arthur Yates Smith passed away peacefully in his sleep Wednesday January 25, 2023 at the age of 91.
Art was born on October 6, 1931 on a windy, cold, cold day in Raymond, Alberta, Canada. He was the 9th of 11 children born to Sidney Bailey Smith and Elsie Mary Sloan Smith. The family lived in a one room sheep herder’s shack and the children slept in a canvas lean-to until they were able to add on more rooms to accommodate them all.

Art attended school until the 12th grade, when he dropped out to work at a meat market cutting and serving meat. He admitted he was often hungry enough to eat the raw meat. He joined the Royal Canadian Airforce and served for 5 years where he completed the Clerk Training course and learned to use a typewriter, which he said was a great benefit all his life.

In 1953, he met and married Sharon Bell and together they had 6 children. Norris and Melanie were born while they lived in Ottawa, Canada and Derek was born in Provo, Utah where Art was attending BYU. They moved to Honolulu, Hawaii where Kevin was born, then came back to Utah where Leslie and then Stephanie joined the family. Art and Sharon later divorced.

Art married Jeanne Dent Day in 1966, she had two children, Danny and Kathy from a previous marriage. Together, they had Nate, Wendee and Sid. Art and Jeanne lived in both Logan and Providence before settling in Hyrum. He loved their home there with its beautiful views and wide-open spaces.

Art had a deep love of learning and earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from the University of Utah and later a P.H.D from BYU. His degrees were in Speech, Communications, and Theatre. Art taught both Jr High and High school before becoming a professor at Utah State University, where he taught Oral Interpretation and Storytelling. Many of his students remarked he was their favorite professor. He enjoyed the Theatre and performed in plays and musicals while teaching at USU. He was also a musician, played the bass fiddle and trumpet and was a gifted artist.

Art was a master storyteller and writer and had the best sense of humor. All of his grandchildren loved to listen to his stories and spend time with him. Any activity with “Grandpa Poopsie” turned into a wild adventure!

He enjoyed tinkering with cars and once bragged he owned 35 cars in his life and only 1 of them wasn’t a lemon. Art was a handyman and enjoyed working around the house and yard. He built barns, boats, sheds, corrals, furniture and many other things.
After he retired, he and Jeanne restored a one-hundred-year-old cabin near Ovid, ID. The family made many fun memories playing games, riding 4-wheelers and horses, listening to and laughing at his stories together while at “Copenhagen Ranch”.

Art was a good man who enjoyed life and all it had to offer. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him. He had a strong testimony of his Savior and enjoyed serving in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in many different capacities.

Art leaves behind his wife Jeanne, his ten children, Norris, Melanie Elizondo (Jack), Derek (Donna), Kevin (Jennifer), Leslie Salas (Mike), Stephanie Olsen (Cordell), Kathy Nielsen (Tracy) Nate (Becca), Wendee, and Sid (Carlee), along with his 32 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren (with 3 more on the way), and his brothers Dave and Mack (Bonnie).
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers; Sid, Frank, Joe, Al, Tenny, Norris, Bailey, his sisters Doris and Madeline, and his step-son Danny.

The family would like to extend a special Thank -You to Heidi and Connie from Primrose Homecare & Hospice and to Carlee for their dedicated and loving care during Art’s final days.

Funeral services are being provided by Allen-Hall Mortuary. They will be held Monday, January 30, 2023 at 12 pm at the Hyrum Stake Center, 595 S 200 E, Hyrum, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to the funeral from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the same location.