Richard Wayne Smith

Richard was born to Wesley and Lynn (Miller) Smith on July 10, 1949 in Fullerton, California. As a young boy, he enjoyed participating in Boy Scouts and worked his way up to Eagle Scout. After graduating from Fullerton High School he went on to pursue a BA in History at Cal State Fullerton. He later received his Doctorate of Ministry from Emory University in Atlanta, GA in 1974. Richard was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1970 and was a member of the Desert Southwest United Methodist Conference. He married Dawn Hayden in August 1970 but later divorced. They welcomed twin daughters, Kara and Shannon, in 1975 while Richard served his first congregation as an associate pastor in Arizona. Richard joined the United State Air Force in 1982 to continue his service as a Chaplain to the many service members in places like Abilene, TX; Indian Springs, NV; and Okinawa, Japan. After serving 8 years as a Captain in the USAF, Richard and family returned to the Las Vegas area, where he led a congregation at a community church in Boulder City. Richard joined St. Rose Dominican hospitals and has served as a hospital chaplain since July 2001.

Richard enjoyed many hobbies, including learning to play the mandolin and harp, but his favorite was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle with his buddies at the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Harley Owners Group. Known to his Harley friends as “Doc,” he truly loved the time he spent on open roads riding his “hog.”

Richard is preceded in death by his parents, Wes and Lynn Smith. He is survived by his daughters, Shannon (Robert) Grotbeck of Las Vegas, NV and Kara (Russ) McClanahan of Pullman, WA. He is also survived by his grandsons, Connor and Kellen McClanahan, and his sister Terry (Cliff) Smith-Evans and their son Travis (Mallory) Smith-Evans, and many friends and coworkers who will miss him dearly.

A service in Richard’s honor will be held at Palm Mortuary on May 21 from 6-8pm. Per his request, he will be interred at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to his favorite charity, Nation of Patriots at www.nationofpatriots.com.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmeastern.com for the Smith family.