Kent Howard Smith

March 11, 1947 – May 19, 2025

Kent H. Smith was a sixth-generation sign-maker who grew up in his father’s sign shop and took over production when his father passed away. 

His search for a career led him to further fields. In high school, he trained for technical theater, primarily stage lighting, toured with Premiere Dance Arts, and lit shows at Denver Auditorium Theater and Red Rocks for national performers. 

Deciding to pursue a career in education, he graduated from Colorado State College with a degree in historical research. He taught history, civics, economics, and driver education in Grover, Colo., where he served briefly as the superintendent of schools. He also taught at the University of Northern Colorado. These pursuits lasted all his life.

During his college years, Kent met Judy Findlater, an education major with a theatrical background. Their partnership lasted 59 years. After marriage, they lived in Fort Lupton, Grover, Greeley, and Estes Park – always in his beloved Colorado.

With two daughters to support, Kent returned to Smith Sign Studio full-time in 1971 and discovered that entrepreneurship agreed with him. Judi joined him in the office in the 1980s. 

Smith Sign Studio is still in operation as his daughters have followed family tradition and returned to complete the jobs on order. Audri has found her entrepreneurial spirit rejuvenated, and she and her sister, Cassi, will continue future production with the assistance of the grandchildren who “grew up in the shop.”

In the 1980s and 1990s, Kent acted as a sign product consultant and representative for several national manufacturers. He has written instruction manuals, texts, labels, advertising, and many trade magazine articles and other publications.  

While no longer a school teacher, Kent has always been an educator. With over 70 years in the business, he established a reputation as a teacher and mentor, influencing many others entering the field or exploring a new facet of the art of sign creation. 

A member of a brotherhood known as the Letterheads, he enjoyed being an integral part of their efforts to continue and share the skills of the esoteric arts. He wrote the sign gilding manual, “Gold Leaf Techniques,” among other books published by their “Walden Illumination Division.” 

These include a community effort that resulted in “100 Years: A Celebration of Women, the Extraordinary Women of the Estes Valley,” which Kent curated.

Throughout his life, he supported numerous causes, too many to innumerate. He was
always active in civic affairs. In Greeley, where he lived and worked for over 40 years,
he served as Chairman of the We CAN Committee and was a founder of the
Independence Stampede Troupe, a community theatre organization.

Over the years, he also was an active member of the Colorado Historical Society, the Lions Club, and the National Railway Historical Society. He was President of the Rocky Mountain Sign Association and of the Southwest Sign Council, both affiliated with the International Sign Association where he was Chair of the Government Affairs Committee.

He began participation in Estes with the Mountain Strong Committee in 2013. He served as a Board member for the Estes Chamber of Commerce, where he also, until recently, served on the Executive Committee and was a past board member of the Economic Development Corporation. 

Always a supporter of innovative education, Kent was most recently a member of the Long Range Planning Committee to explore the future of the Estes Schools.

Kent was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a teacher, a mentor, a consultant, and a
friend, beloved by his family and by many others. He will be sorely missed with each
unanswered appeal for advice.

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