Scott Douglas Smith

Scott Douglas Smith, 75, passed away on November 19, 2025, in Bountiful, Utah, after a brief illness, with his family close by. He was born on May 27, 1950, in Salt Lake City to Douglas Russell Smith and Orien Margaret Andersen Smith, the oldest of their three children.

Scott grew up in Salt Lake City and attended Granite High School, where he played the clarinet and was an award-winning student and musician. He went on to the University of Utah, got involved in student government, and graduated cum laude with a degree in Mathematics. He later earned two master’s degrees from the U—one in Electrical Engineering and one in Business.

During his time in student government, Scott met Barbara Alice Johnson, the love of his life. They were married on June 9, 1973, and spent more than five decades building a life grounded in teamwork, curiosity, and shared experiences. Together they lived in both California and Utah, traveled the world, wandered through art museums, went to plays, and enjoyed the outdoors whenever they could. Scott supported Barbara wholeheartedly in her school board service and nonprofit work.

Scott and Barb (as he called her) raised three children, Doug, Brendan, and Shannon, and he showed up for them in steady, meaningful ways. He created small traditions that became core memories: breakfast-for-dinner nights, long, meandering visits to Barnes & Noble, and weekends spent together at the family cabin.

Scott was rarely without a book nearby. Long before e-readers existed, he carried a highlighter everywhere, and his family would joke that one day he might even “highlight his own tombstone.” His curiosity was constant, and he loved learning about new ideas and technologies.

In his career, Scott worked as a computer programmer and later served as the Chief Technology Officer at Mainstream Data. His career in technology included meeting with and creating a game for Steven Spielberg, building satellite communication devices, and designing websites for Hollywood paparazzi. Throughout it all, he was always driven by his curiosity and love for solving puzzles.

Scott had a long list of hobbies over the years, each reflecting his creativity and interest in the world: flyfishing (complete with tying his own flies), bonsai, painting, photography, sculpture, piano, and, most recently, artificial intelligence. His dry sense of humor, perfectly timed dad jokes, and even the occasional pun was a hallmark of spending any time with him.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his children Douglas Smith (Anna) of Bountiful, Brendan Smith (Sara) of Salt Lake City, and Shannon VanNice of Draper; his siblings Gary Smith and Debra Newcomb; and his grandchildren Will, Lillian, Alice, and Peter. He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Resilient You, a nonprofit meaningful to both Scott and Barbara: www.resilientyou.org or the School Trust Lands Advocates: www.schooltrustlands.org.

We will always be grateful for his kindness, his wisdom, and his quiet humor.

Services will be held on December 6 at 3:00 p.m. at 2633 S. 50 W., Bountiful, UT 84010, with an hour of visiting and sharing memories beginning at 2:00 p.m.

This obituary was written with the help of AI, just like Scott would have done.