Kevin John Smith

Kevin John Smith August 22, 1960 - July 29, 2026

Kevin John Smith, age 65, of Littleton, CO was taken too soon for us, but never too soon for God’s perfect plan. On Wednesday, July 29th his family all gathered to say “see you soon”; he left behind about 142 firearms, a suspiciously rare knife, a truck that could survive anything, and a world that didn’t deserve him.

Kevin is survived by his wife, Julie, the love of his life, his greatest blessing, and the only person who could tell him what to do. He is also survived by his dad, Tony Smith, sons: Christopher (and Paige) Smith and Zachary (and Mackenzie) Smith, daughters: Michaela (and Eric) Rayer, Taylor, Isabella (and fiancé Dylan) and Gianna Smith; sister, Angi (and Pardis) Ghorbani; brothers: Chris (and Keri) Smith and Paul (and Amber) Smith; grandchildren: Elia, Ignatius, Jordyn, Lillian, Sebastian, and Bosco Smith, Brody, Dominic, Presley, and Kolbe Rayer, and Rosalie and Rome Smith and his two dogs (only one of which he liked, we won’t name names) LaRue and Linus Smith.

He is preceded in death by his mom, Shirley Smith. 

As you read below, and if you knew him, you knew of his superhuman accomplishments and his decorated history, but first and foremost, he was a man of God. He chased after Jesus with all his heart and made sure his family was right there with him. His eyes were fixed on Heaven, daily mass was never an option, he blessed his kids (and adult children) with holy water every single night, and he made it known that the family rosary was our most powerful weapon (coming from a man with a whole arsenal!). His devotion to St. Joseph was monumental, and Kevin’s goal was to resemble him in all that he did. St. Joseph visited him twice during his life, and we know he was with Kevin through every moment as he said to Kevin in 2022, “You must know I never left, I’m always here, waiting”.

Kevin graduated from Clear Lake High School catching rattlesnakes and selling them to the zoo as a side job, before going on to Texas A&M where he played basketball briefly and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. He then received his Master’s from the University of Houston in Computer Science only to be recruited to be a software engineer for NASA. When his team was assigned a project and every member of the team quit, Kevin remained, slept on a cot, and finished writing the code by himself. The famous Gene Kranz became his personal friend. To this day, that code is considered priceless and the execution of it was near impossible.

He went from NASA to Manugistics where he discovered the first thing he wasn’t good at… golf. If there’s anything Kevin hated, it was losing so it wasn’t long before he was a scratch golfer. Golf was only one of the many hobbies he mastered during his time here.

He enjoyed many things - celebrating anything and everything, daily mass, family vacations, winning, movie nights, fantasy football, good food (NOT okra), finding rare items no one will ever need, but his favorite hobby and one of his greatest skills was shooting. He had a sure fire shot, all the employees at the gun range knew him by name, and you knew that wherever you went with him you were always safe. He also established himself as a specialized and rare ammunition dealer. On top of all his other accomplishments and skills, he wrote four books - three that the average person couldn’t even begin to understand but a special one that was dedicated to Julie for their anniversary and is a must read for all couples. Kevin would travel around the world just for people to hear him speak on his expertise in all things Information Technology. He even addressed the importance of technology in developing economies to the Government of the Russian Federation in the early 2,000’s. During his travels he would have book signings where people would wait for hours just to meet The Kevin Smith.

While he could most likely hit a bullseye from 2,000 meters, with a rifle, with both eyes shut, his shooting skills don’t even begin to compare to his skills as a father and a husband. He was the kind of husband every man tries to be and every daughter strives to find. He was the type of husband you only become by following so closely in St. Joseph’s footsteps, but only so few actually achieve. Watching the way he loved Julie was a privilege that his children will forever be thankful for. He loved Julie with all of his heart, and it was a gift to watch them grow closer to God and in turn, closer to each other.

As a father, he was always steady (unless you were mean to mom), equipped to handle anything you asked of him (including culling chickens), and the world’s smartest, worst math teacher. Building rockets, writing books, and packing ammunition never took away from his time as a dad and his dedication to being around. Kevin always said his dream would be to have every single kid live at home forever. His ideal Saturday night (or any night) would be all of his kids having no plans, sitting at home with him and Julie, eating popcorn and watching a movie. He made it clear to his kids, and made good on his word many times, that he would drive any distance at any hour of the day or night to pick them up. He coached every one of his kids’ basketball teams; he might hold a record from Zachary’s basketball team that he coached for 5 years straight going 64-0 (like I said, he hated to lose). He was a dad to the six kids, but he was a father to so many more, always leading by example with quiet, humble strength, the most generous heart, and never failing to live for Jesus in every decision he made.

When his tumors started causing him unbearable pain, he would suffer silently and remained full of humility. Kevin’s suffering was indescribable the last few years, but his constant prayer was for him to perfectly accept God’s holy will for him. This was how Kevin lived his whole life; he was quiet but he was fierce. He had a strong presence but a gentle heart. His gifts from Jesus made Kevin the most incredibly virtuous man. He was able to receive the Anointing of the Sick multiple times as well as two Apostolic Blessings, and he died with his scapular on so we are comforted knowing our Lady was with him at the time of his death.

His funeral will begin at 10:30 am on Monday, August 10th with a rosary beforehand beginning at 10:00 am, all to be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel 5612 S Hickory Street, Littleton, CO. There will be a reception in the church hall following the mass. 

Memorial donations can be made at www.givesendgo.com/kevinsmemory“

He has run a mighty race. “ - Mary Grace, SV