Dennis K. Smith

Dennis Keith Smith passed away at home surrounded by the love of his family on May 1, 2023. He was a loving husband, son, father, grandfather, and brother. He was an honest and fiercely loyal soul, who loved the people in his life with great enthusiasm.

Dennis was born in Logan, Utah on March 19, 1952 to Melvin B. and Alice M. Smith. He was the second of three sons. Raised under modest circumstances, he discovered the value of hard work from a young age. He grew up playing marbles, bombing army men with dirt clods, riding bikes, floating the canal, and playing little league baseball. He attended Logan High School, where he got into all sorts of mischief, but made lifelong friendships. He referred to his group of friends as, “The Fellas”. He reminisced often about their shenanigans and all of the fond memories spent with them. He joined a band called, “The Rebels” during jr. high, another source of fond memories.

After high school, he moved to Denver, Colorado. He worked at GeJo’s Italian restaurant to support himself while attending Denver Automotive College, and spoke fondly of the Galasso family, who owned the restaurant and took him in. Shortly after finishing automotive school, he returned to Logan to begin working for Johnson’s Construction.

He married Cindy Riggs in 1973, and built a home in Smithfield. He was so proud to have his first house by the age of 25. Together they had two wonderful children, Brandon and Amanda. He referred to them as, “The Turkins”, and spoke often of the time spent in their Smithfield neighborhood.

Cindy and Dennis later divorced. Six years later, he met his current wife Beth, who he referred to as, “The love of my life, who saved me.” Together they had two sons, Denver (nicknamed by Dennis as, “The Little-Oh-Devo”) and Michael (nicknamed “The Scoot”). Beth and Dennis were sealed in the Logan Temple on November 9, 2012.

Dennis remained present and a part of all four of his children’s lives, appreciating their unique differences and valuing their relationships with each other. He was extremely proud of them all and found immeasurable joy in his family.

He began his landscape grading excavation business, DKS Custom Grading, in 1978. He loved working outdoors, creating beauty and order out of chaos. He was referred to as an artist, though not with the typical type of brush and canvas. He was known for keeping his equipment in impeccable condition. His green trucks were easy to spot around the valley. At the time of retirement in 2020, he was using the same Athey Grader that he started with 42 years earlier. He was responsible for countless landscapes around the valley and beyond.

Dennis approached his interests with enthusiasm, and expressed his opinions clearly, and in ways that were often delightful to witness. A common phrase of his was, “It’s a beautiful thing!” In earlier years, his weekends included roller skating with Brandon and Mandy down Old Main Hill, trips to Bear Lake, Crystal Springs, and building gigantic sandwiches for their picnics. He loved watching Brandon play sports and attending Mandy’s dance competitions. He made sure to make his weekends with them a fun time.

He loved most outdoor activities like riding ATVs, golfing, fishing, and hiking. He took his 1969 Camaro Super Sport to many car shows with his friends and family. He enjoyed watching baseball and the Utah Jazz. He was excited and proud to watch his son Michael play baseball during high school. He loved to take his “Sweetheart” out for rides on the back of his Harley Davidson.

To Dennis, Kilgore, Idaho was probably the most relaxing place on earth. He took Beth, Denver, and Michael, along with their camp trailer to relax and enjoy the quiet beauty of the area, free of cell phone service. He had lots of fun up there with Beth’s family boating, fishing, and enjoying the good food and company around a campfire. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Dennis’ unique personality and sense of humor.
Dennis was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2008 and given a three-year prognosis. Instead, he beat all the odds and soldiered on through 15 blessed years!

The family wishes to express special thanks to Dr. Neeraj Agarwal, Julia Batten, and all support staff who served him at Huntsman Cancer Institute, as well as Dr. David Gill and Jared Thornley at IHC. There was never a healthcare provider who did not love Dennis.

He was preceded in death by both parents, and by his brother Robert. He is survived by his wife Beth, his three sons, Brandon, Denver (Niccole), and Michael (Cassie), his daughter Amanda (Scott), and two grandchildren Alli (Brandon) and Alice (Michael and Cassie), and his brother Kim (Paula).

Graveside services will be held Monday, May 8th at 11:00 a.m. at the Logan City Cemetery, 1200 E 1000 N in Logan. (In case of inclement weather, the service will be changed to an LDS church located at 1550 E. 1900 N. in North Logan). A viewing will be held Sunday night May 7th from 6-8 p.m. at Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E. Center St. Logan.

The services will livestreamed and can be accessed by clicking the link below:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW LIVESTREAM SERVICE

Messages and memories are encouraged to be shared with the family online at www.allenmortuaries.com .