1940
John
2015
John Kenneth Smith
September 27, 1940 — November 23, 2015
John Kenneth Smith, "Ken" or "Kenny" to those who knew him, passed on November 23, 2015 in Idaho Falls, ID at the age of 75.
He is predeceased by his parents, Mary and Bill Smith and his wife, Toni Marie Smith.
He is lovingly remembered by his daughter Sammi Smith, her husband Christopher Brown and their daughter Eleanora Brown; his daughter Sunni Smith; his son Bruce Smith and his husband Eric Dewall; as well as his sisters Diana Russell and Kristie Wagner and their families.
Ken was a lifelong resident of Rigby, ID. In 1963, he received BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He entered into the gas and nuclear industry and began working for Phillips Petroleum as an Instrument Engineer. Then he worked for Fluor Corporation in Iran and Kuwait. (He was there during the "Six Day War"!) Later he moved to Ft. Stockton, TX where he met the love of his life, Toni Marie Dunn. His career with Fluor took them all over the globe. Fluor sent Ken to Saudi Arabia and because of the housing situation; they decided that Toni should live in Athens, Greece. In 1974, their first daughter, Sammi was born. When Sammi was 3 months old, Ken took his family to Ulsan and then Yosu, South Korea where he was eventually promoted to Superintendent. In 1977, they moved briefly back to Idaho where their second daughter, Sunni was born. Then they moved to Saudi Arabia where Ken became the General Superintendent on the Ju ‘Aymah gas project. Their next long stay abroad was in Secunda, South Africa. There he oversaw the construction of SASOL tank farms. In 1984 they returned to the states where Ken continued his career at the INEL. In 1986, their third child, Bruce was born. During his tenure at the site, Ken worked in the ICPP, TRA, NRF, and RWMC, with various agencies and had several job titles. He was known for his ability to achieve results and his occasionally abrupt methods of doing so. In 1989, he worked briefly as a Superintendent on the Exxon Valdez oil spill clean-up in Alaska. He returned to the INEL where he eventually retired as a Construction Engineer and General Superintendent.
Ken loved big game hunting, bird hunting, and fishing almost as much as he loved telling stories about them! His long winded tales of "four point bucks going over hog-back ridges" will be missed by both his family and friends. He was a lifetime member of the Elks Club and a 40+ year member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 648. He enjoyed gardening, reloading, and watching football. Ken was a loving husband and father.
A "Celebration of Life" for both Ken and Toni will be held August 31, 2016. It would have been their 47th wedding anniversary. More details to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. http://www.rmef.org
Condolences for the family may be offered online at http://www.dignitymemorial.com/buck-miller-hann-funeral-home/en-us/index.page
He is predeceased by his parents, Mary and Bill Smith and his wife, Toni Marie Smith.
He is lovingly remembered by his daughter Sammi Smith, her husband Christopher Brown and their daughter Eleanora Brown; his daughter Sunni Smith; his son Bruce Smith and his husband Eric Dewall; as well as his sisters Diana Russell and Kristie Wagner and their families.
Ken was a lifelong resident of Rigby, ID. In 1963, he received BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He entered into the gas and nuclear industry and began working for Phillips Petroleum as an Instrument Engineer. Then he worked for Fluor Corporation in Iran and Kuwait. (He was there during the "Six Day War"!) Later he moved to Ft. Stockton, TX where he met the love of his life, Toni Marie Dunn. His career with Fluor took them all over the globe. Fluor sent Ken to Saudi Arabia and because of the housing situation; they decided that Toni should live in Athens, Greece. In 1974, their first daughter, Sammi was born. When Sammi was 3 months old, Ken took his family to Ulsan and then Yosu, South Korea where he was eventually promoted to Superintendent. In 1977, they moved briefly back to Idaho where their second daughter, Sunni was born. Then they moved to Saudi Arabia where Ken became the General Superintendent on the Ju ‘Aymah gas project. Their next long stay abroad was in Secunda, South Africa. There he oversaw the construction of SASOL tank farms. In 1984 they returned to the states where Ken continued his career at the INEL. In 1986, their third child, Bruce was born. During his tenure at the site, Ken worked in the ICPP, TRA, NRF, and RWMC, with various agencies and had several job titles. He was known for his ability to achieve results and his occasionally abrupt methods of doing so. In 1989, he worked briefly as a Superintendent on the Exxon Valdez oil spill clean-up in Alaska. He returned to the INEL where he eventually retired as a Construction Engineer and General Superintendent.
Ken loved big game hunting, bird hunting, and fishing almost as much as he loved telling stories about them! His long winded tales of "four point bucks going over hog-back ridges" will be missed by both his family and friends. He was a lifetime member of the Elks Club and a 40+ year member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 648. He enjoyed gardening, reloading, and watching football. Ken was a loving husband and father.
A "Celebration of Life" for both Ken and Toni will be held August 31, 2016. It would have been their 47th wedding anniversary. More details to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. http://www.rmef.org
Condolences for the family may be offered online at http://www.dignitymemorial.com/buck-miller-hann-funeral-home/en-us/index.page
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Kenneth Smith, please visit our flower store.
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