Milo Smith Obituary

Longtime Pagosa Springs resident Milo M. Smith died after a short illness and complications of surgery Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango. He was 82.

Mr. Smith was born to Erwin "Mustang" and Marie Smith on June 3, 1931, in Winnemucca, Nev., and grew up on a ranch in Denio, Nev. He was one of seven children.

Mr. Smith graduated from high school in Winnemucca in 1951.

He spent his younger years running cattle on the White Horse Ranch, a historic cattle ranch in southeast Oregon founded in 1869, before enlisting in the Navy. Mr. Smith served during the Korean War from 1951 through 1954 and was awarded medals for national defense and Korean service.

In the late 1950s, Mr. Smith acquired acreage in Pagosa Springs on U.S. Highway 160 and spent years running hunting camps.

He married the woman his family called his "soulmate," Neva Harris, in 1959 in Pagosa Springs. They lived in Golden, Mesa, Ariz., and Richland, Mo., before finally settling in Pagosa Springs in 1988. The Smiths built their home there together, log by log, his family said. They'd had three children and were married 41 years when Mrs. Smith died in 2000.

"Milo was known for his artistic welding prowess, loved to fish and also loved to cook," according to his family. "He made exceptional sourdough bread and was the keeper of a starter that came across Wolf Creek Pass in 1916."

Mr. Smith loved chariot racing and was one of the chariot racers in the movie "Ben-Hur." When the movie "The Cowboys" was filmed partly in Pagosa Springs, Mr. Smith supplied horses and found a friend in John Wayne, his family said.

Mr. Smith also had a particular fondness for mules, dating back to his childhood when his grandfather drove a 20-mule team for Borax.

"Milo was a gregarious and fun-loving man," according to his family. "He lived life to the fullest, leaving a legacy of memories for many people."

Mr. Smith is survived by his children Nathan Edward Smith of Pagosa Springs, Anna Marie Guckenberg of Laveen, Ariz., Shannon Joann Kinder of Elk City Okla., and Verle Smith of Portland, Ore.; sisters Helen Felt of Salem, Ore., and Venie Morgan of Burns, Ore.; longtime girlfriend, Allie Mifflin, of Bayfield; three grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Cremation has occurred. The ashes will be buried in Denio. A memorial cookout will be held July 4, 2014, at his residence, which is being kept in the family.

Memorial donations may be made in his name to American Legion Post 108, 287 Hermosa St., Pagosa Springs, CO 81147; or to a veterans association.