Robert Junius Smith
1920 - 2016
VETERAN

Early Life: He was born December 25, 1920, in Snowflake, Arizona, to Samuel Francis and Lulu Jane Hatch Smith. He attended Snowflake Public School and Snowflake Union High School.
Life's Work | Service | Interests: He had degrees from Brigham Young University, Northwestern University and Indiana University. He served a mission in the Southern States Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he met Sister Lola Nielson. They were married on November 5, 1945, in the Salt Lake Temple and were blessed with eight children. Besides Provo, which has been home for most of their married life, they lived in Chicago, Illinois; Bloomington, Indiana; Plainfield, New Jersey; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Jerusalem, Israel. They resided in Israel for 3½ years while Robert was comptroller for the construction of the BYU Jerusalem Center. His military service was in the United States Naval Reserve from 1944 to 1946, where he spent time in San Diego, Chicago, the Washington DC area, Boston, and aboard the USS Whetstone (LSD-27), achieving the rank of ETM-2/C (electronics technician mate). He served in many positions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including: bishop of two wards, counselor to three stake presidents, stake president, regional welfare agent, and Provo Utah Temple president. Together with his wife, he served an office mission in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission and also a church service mission at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. He served for many years as an ordinance worker and sealer in the Provo Utah Temple. He taught accounting at Brigham Young University for 18 years and did part-time public accounting work, having received certification as a certified public accountant (CPA). In the May 1949 CPA examination, he received the highest scores in the nation and was given the Elijah Watt Sells Gold Medal Award. His teaching was followed by 18 years in administrative assignments at BYU, where he retired as financial vice president. Robert Junius Smith, of Provo, Utah, passed away March 4, 2016. He was 95.
Survived By: His children: Lynette and Greg Lyman, Lynn and Donna Smith, Shirley and Stephen Ricks, LaRae Blake, Jeanine and Stan Denton, Larry and Holly Smith and Sheldon and Sarah Smith; 40 grandchildren and 72 great-grandchildren.
Preceded In Death By: His wife; his parents; 12 siblings; his daughter, Junola Bush; and two sons-in-law: Ben Blake and Chuck Bush.
Services: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Location: Sharon East Stake Center | Orem, Utah
Mortuary: Berg Mortuary of Provo
Burial: East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery
Obituary: © Daily Herald | Provo, Utah | 9 Mar 2016

Bio compiled by: Annie Duckett Hundley