Thomas Glenn Smith

Born in 1962 to a considerate young mother he would never meet, little Tommy was fondly adopted by affectionate parents of San Mateo, California. Glenn Pearman Smith, World War II veteran/ college chancellor, and Kathleen Hudson Smith, school teacher, welcomedTom into their family.

As a boy summering at a local Christian camp, Tom asked Jesus into his heart and life. The forest staged his youth with reveled hunting trips and woodsman's craft alongside his beloved "Unc" Rans Pearman. During school, he passionately played football and competed in wrestling. In May 1980, his senior year, Tom, at 17, opted to quit high school and join the Army because his teachers “didn’t know what they were talking about.”

At Fort Benning, Georgia, Tom earned his jump wings. A paratrooper with Troop B, 1st Squadron (Air), 17th Cavalry, Tom was an “All American” in the 82nd Airborne Division of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He placed first in the Forscom commander’s company level marksmanship competition at Bragg, spent time at Ft. Knox, KY, and Ft. Lee, VA, finished jungle warfare school at Ft. Sherman, Panama, and volunteered as a test subject for the U.S.Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA. “Smitty” received sergeant stripes in 1981. The God-given gift of the USA always weighed heavily as a true duty in Tom’s heart.

Between the wars of the early '80s, Tom made the difficult decision to leave the Army in order to study. He worked on his undergraduate degree at San Mateo Community College. Then he chose Boise, Idaho, for school, where he married and welcomed his first child, a strong son. Graduating from Boise State University, Tom completed a Micro MBA in Business Administration and a Master of Arts degree in British Literature. His thesis penned accolades to the timeless classic of Jane Austen.

As a young divorcee in 1991, Tom met and married his lovely wife, Pamela Kay Davis. Together, they welcomed three daughters. He moved the family to Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1999 for a job in software. While living in] the East, many trips were taken to historical battlefields and presidents’ homes, treasuring American history.

In 2003, desiring to be near his retiring parents, Tom headed back across country to Medford, Oregon. There, he started his business, Clear-Work. He was a successful organizational development consultant for many local and national organizations, thriving in connecting people to breakthroughs. When the recession hit, Tom started to shift to more of a home life: woodworking, gunsmithing, and raising girls. One of his greatest accomplishments was reading the Bible cover to cover aloud to his children. He always read and studied avidly to come at a topic with depth.

Slowly, various ailments burdened Tom, and in his true cowboy character, he gritted through. During his quiet moments, he would pray for friends or often for strangers. His health struggles led to a cancer diagnosis in 2023, shortly after relocating to the stunning desert of Saint George, Utah. He fought close calls with death often; yet, his bright eyes and teasing humor were always ready, trusting the good Lord’s purpose.

By his hospital bedside, Tom saw his own family wholly reconciled. Jesus poured great peace out over that moment from life to life everlasting. Even with his final words, Tom made the room howl with laughter.

You are so loved, Tom, you son of a gun!

Thomas Glenn Smith is survived by his wife Pam; children Caleb, Mary, Emily and Phyllis; grandsons Uriel, Samson, and Sullivan; his sister Julie Gahagan; and brother-in-law Brian.

A graveyard service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday Nov. 7, at Tonaquint Cemetery, 1777 S Dixie Dr., St George, UT. Memorial to follow after a break for lunch, at 2 p.m. at Hilltop Church, 1361 E Red Hills Pkwy, St George.

Consider gifts to Rejoice Broadcast Network, Creation Moments, or Hilltop Church, St. George, in memory of Tom.