Donald Lynn Smith, 73, of Galveston, passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on July 9, 2025. Don was born December 22, 1951 in Port Arthur, Texas to John Harland and Lucille Eunice Boyer Smith. He was raised and attended schools in Vidor, Texas, before attending college at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Oceanographic Technology.
Don married Elizabeth Sue Reed on August 14, 1978. They had two daughters, Alison Lynn and Erin Elizabeth. Shortly after marriage, Don accepted a job at Dowell. Don proudly worked for Dowell, then Dowell Schlumberger, and finally Schlumberger, up until retirement in 2009. With Dowell, the family moved throughout Texas, and eventually landed in Rock Springs, Wyoming for 9 years, before Don and Liz moved back to Houston in 2003. As a matter of interest and humor, we found his initial job offer letter, and each subsequent raise and promotion letter neatly tucked away in his file cabinet. He briefly returned to work at Supreme Services before retiring again.
Don had a story for everything and would tell it many times over. Occasionally you would get a new story, which was always exciting. Most recently, we learned about the time he was at a geology field camp in West Texas and spent time with a “pet” mountain lion. He was hard-working, active, and energetic. He liked driving around and exploring, something he did a lot of in Wyoming. He enjoyed great music, marching bands, and playing his trumpet any chance he got. He could fix anything, build everything, and took great pleasure in letting you know if you were doing something the wrong way. A true compliment was for him to tell you it was “good enough for government work.”
In retirement, Don moved to a farm in Waco for several years where he enjoyed time with his cows, farm dogs, and his horse, Diesel, who he treated like a his dog. In 2020, he moved to Galveston, Texas where he loved living the island life. He enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, going to “coffee club” on Fridays with his neighbors, participating in the Galveston Citizens Police Academy, the local Pachyderm Club, playing with his much-loved German Shephard, Pireaux, and bar-hopping along the island until he found the best old-fashioned. Don loved a good Scotch – two fingers with a splash of water, on the rocks.
In death, Don has been reunited with his beloved wife Liz, and his parents. He is survived by his daughters, Alison and Erin, sons-in-law, John and Harry, and grandchildren, Erianna, Eli, Samantha, Michael, Loriette, and Mila, as well as his brothers Steve and Dale, sister Debbie and numerous nieces and nephews.
In the last several months, Don made his end-of-life choices clear. At his request, he has been cremated. He told us he “did not care” what we did with his ashes because, “I’ll be dead.” Thusly, we have decided to bring him to all the places and people he loved, before ultimately laying him to rest with Liz, in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He also specifically requested that we not have a funeral because “funerals are for the living, and I’ll be dead.” His exact request was to “take the money, cremate me, and throw a party.” To honor that request, Celebration of Life Happy Hour has been planned for July 27,2026 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at St. Arnold’s Brewing, 2000 Lyons Ave, Houston, Texas. Please join us to remember how special Don was and celebrate the life he led, and the legacy he leaves.
