Donna Kay Smith

Carpe Diem-NO REGRETS Our incredible Mother, Donna Kay Smith, passed away on November 9th. She was a Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Teacher, Golfer and most importantly a Friend. She grew up in Jerome Idaho and that is where her Mom taught her and her sisters how to golf. Her mom was a local golf champ and was her hero. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education & Child Development from BYU in 1963. While at BYU she was selected to attend the Merrill Palmer Institute in Detroit for Specialized Child Development training. In 2001 she earned her Masters of Education from Utah State University. She also went on to earn her Gifted Endorsement from Utah State and ESL Endorsement from Weber State. She loved learning! Her teaching career started in the Salt Lake School District where she taught Kindergarten for three years. Then she went on to Cherry Creek School District in Englewood Colorado for two years where she taught 1st grade and 2nd grade. Then on to Tuba City Arizona School District where she taught 1st grade on the Navajo/Hopi Indian Reservation for one year. For her grand teaching finale she was a 1st grade teacher at Bacchus Elementary in Kearns Utah for 30+ years. Mom LOVED to golf and any time the weather was good she could be found at Fore Lakes Golf Course. She got not one, not two, but THREE holes in ONE at Fore Lakes. Amazing! She loved golfing with her sisters and us kids and LOVED teaching her grandkids about golf. She rarely took score and was an excellent golfer although she would always say she played SBS golf (Sloppy but Satisfactory). If you haven't tried golfing, our Mom always said "one lesson is all it takes to learn how to golf". Golf is fun and very cheap therapy. If she wasn't golfing she was swimming at her Condo, at a movie, watching TV or reading. She loved to travel and had been to St Croix, Paris, London, Wales, Italy and especially loved going to Kauai for the last several years. She is survived by her sisters, Nancy Thompson (Bruce) and Sue Robinson (Edward); daughters, Kim Smith (T. Dawn) and Dawn Hernandez (Marcos); sons, Mark Smith and Skyler Smith (Stacey); Daughter-in-Law Meredith Cameron (Kevin). Grandchildren; Kiara, Maddie, Griffin, Caden, Gavin and Gaige. She loved being a grandma!! She was greeted in heaven by her Mother, Annie Davis, and her son J. Daren Smith (US Army Blackhawk Pilot Died in 2003 Operation Enduring Freedom). A celebration of her life will be held on Monday November 13th from 11am-Noon at the Hunter Village Ward located at 3450 South 6400 West in West Valley City. A viewing will be held prior to the funeral from 9:30am-10:45am. She will be laid to rest on Tuesday November 14th at 11am at the West Jordan Cemetery located at 7800 S 1300 W, across the street from Gardner Village. In lieu of flowers please reach out to your favorite teacher and let them know how much they meant to you and if they are still teaching offer to help them purchase supplies for their classroom. If our Mom was your favorite teacher feel free to send flowers, she loved being your teacher! Place of Birth:Wendell, IdahoPlace of Death:Taylorsville, UtahHobbies:Golfing, swimming, going to movies, TV, reading, and travelingOccupation:Teacher