Born in St. Louis, MO on July 9th, 1949, the second of six children, R.J. grew up on adventure stories like Tom Swift, Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer. In 1969, he was drafted into the US Army and served with Echo company on the front lines of the Vietnam War during ’70-’71. After being honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1971, R.J. returned to St. Louis, where he met the love of his life, Judy Smith. They were married in 1974.
R.J. earned his B.A. in Physics from the University of Missouri, St. Louis, in 1974. While working at McDonnell Douglas, he successfully produced the first diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, to operate at room temperature, a staple in modern optics labs today. R.J. went on to earn his M.S. in Optics from the University of Rochester, NY; at which point he returned to St. Louis, and McDonnell Douglas.
R.J. moved to Boulder, CO with his family in 1988 where he continued his career, focusing on laser-based communication and Lidar technology, at Ball Aerospace. In 1991, after inventing an enuresis device, he and his wife started a business which ended up curing over 100,000 children and young adults of bedwetting. R.J. also served as a volunteer firefighter within his community for over 20 years with Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District. Later, he invented an early wildfire detection system which was used successfully to provide full coverage of the district. In 2013, he was bestowed a “Life Saving Award” for his heroism after having rescued a trapped neighbor whose home had collapsed during the Boulder County Flood. R.J. always enjoyed the great outdoors – he was an avid hiker and mountain biker. He had a wide circle of friends, who knew him to be a man of great character, intellect and humor.
R.J. is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Judy of Boulder, CO; his two sons Sean Smith and his wife Leah, and Elliot Smith and his wife Susann. He was loved dearly by his four grandchildren Oscar, Stellan, Alva and Karina.
A memorial will be held for family, followed by a burial service at R.J.’s final resting place in Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236. The burial will take place at 11:15 am on 08/03/2020.
In lieu of flowers, R.J.’s family asks that donations be made to the Rett Syndrome Foundation under his granddaughter’s name at http://rettgive.org/campaigns/hope-for-alva.
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