SMITH, Chester Rodney (Rod)

The Payson Roundup, Payson, Arizona, Friday, April 17, 2015 Chester “Rod” Rodney Smith U.S. Veteran April 30, 1928 - April 12, 2015 Chester Rodney “Rod” Smith of Payson, Ariz. passed away April 12, 2015. He was born April 30, 1928 in Burley, Idaho to N. Chester and Louese Nichols Smith. He grew up in Southern California. At the age of 20, he entered the U.S. Air Force. After leaving the Air Force, he began his college education. His father passed away at the first semester break and then he worked at Hughes Aircraft and also Gilfillan Brothers while completing his schooling. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UCLA, and later earned his master’s at ASU. During that time, he met and married the love his life, for time and all eternity, Marilyn Joan Sorum. In 1965, they moved with their four children to Scottsdale where Rod was employed with Motorola’s government division and was a project manager with the missile guidance program. He was also a government liaison for those projects. His children loved to hear the stories of the heat seeking missiles he worked on, but was unable to reveal too much due to the sensitivity of his work. At one time, he was on the cover of Popular Mechanic Magazine displaying the first radar gun that was developed by his division at Hughes Aircraft in the early ’60s. Rod traveled to six different European countries marketing the radar gun. In 1995, Rod and Marilyn retired to Payson, and made it their home. Rod loved his family, backpacking, reading and playing cards with his family and friends. He gave a lifetime of service to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and filled many leadership positions including Bishop of the Scottsdale 1st Ward. He also served in his community and as a leader in the Boy Scouts for many years. He will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by a baby daughter, Joanna; and a brother, Curt Smith. He is survived by Marilyn, his wife of 61 years; four children, Sue (Dan) McGuire, Kathy (Ron) Ray, Melissa (Jeff) Walker, and Alec (Denice) Smith; a brother, Kent Smith; 11 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. Services will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 18, 2015 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 913 S. Ponderosa, Payson, AZ 85541. Visitation will be at 9 a.m. in the Relief Society Room. Donations may be made in Rod’s name to the Forget-Me-Nots at the Senior Center, 514 W. Main St., Payson, AZ 85541.