Dorne Smith, age 67, passed away on July 2, 2021 surrounded by family in his home of 38 years. He was a resident of Colorado Springs for 44 years and worked at Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies for most of his working career. He retired in 2013 from Agilent Technologies.
Dorne was born on November 30, 1953 to Everett and Marietta Smith in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he lived until moving to Missouri to be near his sweetheart, Elaine. Dorne and Elaine were married on July 5, 1975 at Possum Hill in Worden, Illinois and moved to Colorado Springs in 1977.
Dorne was an avid gardener and could often be spotted doing yard work in his “farmer’s costume”: jean overalls, a Hawaiian print shirt, and a straw hat. He enjoyed all kinds of music and would sit on the floor in front of his stereo to browse his CDs and curate a selection of music for family gatherings. He enjoyed traveling to Europe with Elaine to visit with their daughter, Amanda, and practice his French language skills. He was always happy to read a book or play a game with the children and didn’t mind little hands digging in his garden, which made him a favorite with his many grandchildren.
He is survived by his loving wife, Elaine; his sisters: Alice, Maudie and Laura; his children: Cara, Amanda, Drew and Jessa; his grandchildren: Mia, Evan, Cedric, Megan, Damien, Carl, Amelia, and Matthew; and his great-grandchild: Lorenzo. He was preceded in death by his parents, Everett and Marietta.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 10AM at the Shrine of Remembrance, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80910. A reception will follow. There will be a luncheon at Phantom Canyon, 2 E Pikes Peak Avenue from 11:30 – 2:00 P.M. after the memorial service on August 7, 2021. If possible, please RSVP a Smith family member so we can have a “head count”.
Memorials in Dorne’s name may be made to Care and Share Food Bank https://careandshare.org/how-to-donate/ or to Rocky Mountain PBS https://rmpm.secure.force.com/support/rmpbs/donate.
Lois J Opel
8 Jul 2021Yes we will remember his wedding day to my baby sister Elaine .. It was a joyous day and a beautiful Wedding in our family room on Possum Hill .. where we made many memories .. But my most memory that I will miss most of our Dorne is his quiet nature and his love for working in the kitchen .. He could whip up a bunch of veggie that were delicious . Will miss him always .❤️His sister-in-law Lois
W. Dale Crockett
16 Jul 2021My deepest condolences and sympathies to you all, Elaine. I remember Dorne as a man of few words but a smile that spoke volumes. I pray peace and comfort on you and your family.
Mohammad Rahin
6 Aug 2021Words fail to measure up to the occasion. I will honor Dorne’s memory here with how I knew him.
I met Dorne in 2000 and worked with him through his retirement in 2013 and even a couple of projects afterwards.
For 13+ years, we sat next to and across from each other often working on the same projects. Dorne was one of the first people in the office and quietly and efficiently took care of things. His quiet sense of humor was subtly on display as he “proudly” posted his teletype certificate on his cubicle wall even after he had created sophisticated software and process automation solutions. Dorne was incredibly competent and patient. He was an original and embodied a sense of ownership over his work and got things done methodically. I understood that this is who he was—it wasn’t just at work. I remember a story where he planted grass seeds in the yard and watered them to create a lawn instead of buying pre-cut sod. He was old school that way and I liked that about him.
Several times a week, we’d go have lunch at one of the local eateries like La Baguette or Mollica’s. We talked about life, family, raising kids and Wall Street driving detrimental behaviors in corporations. Those were the good old times.
Dorne was a friend, a colleague and a mentor to me. Knowing him enriched my life personally and professionally. I’m deeply saddened and rather angry to see him go. While I may never accept that it was his time, I know that he lives on in the memories of his loved ones, colleagues and others whose lives he touched.
My sincerest condolences, Elaine and family.
Kelly Hoogers
12 Aug 2021My sympathies to the family. I have many good memories of Dorne. A calm and gentle man with that great dry sense of humor. Hugs to all