In Memory Of
Franklin J. Smith
1931
2023
Franklin J. Smith
October 5, 1931 — December 9, 2023
Long-time Cheyenne resident Franklin James Smith passed away peacefully on Dec. 9 at the age of 92.
If ever there was a man who epitomized a deep connection to and pride in his Wyoming heritage, it was Frank Smith. Apart from his military service during the Korean War and a brief period spent in Nebraska as a young boy during World War II, Frank spent nearly every day of his remarkable life in Wyoming.
Frank was born in Douglas in 1931 and moved to Cheyenne as a young boy. He was very proud to have graduated from Cheyenne High School and the University of Wyoming.
Frank joined the Wyoming Air National Guard in 1951, which mustered into federal service during the Korean War, and he served with the 35th Air Police Squadron in Japan.
He joined the Cheyenne Police Department in 1954 as a beat cop, and in 1956 he was promoted to detective and sent to the FBI Academy in Washington, D.C. He rose to the rank of captain before resigning from the police force in 1963 when he graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law.
During his legal career, he operated a private law practice, served as deputy county attorney and was legal counsel to the Laramie County Sheriff as well as a staff judge advocate of the Wyoming Army National Guard. He received numerous awards for his legal service in the guard, including the Legion of Merit. He retired from the guard in 1987 as a colonel.
He married Donna Hope Betasso in 1958, and together they raised three children in Cheyenne, all of whom graduated from Central High School and the University of Wyoming.
Throughout his lifetime he was an avid hunter and angler who especially loved spending time in the Snowy Range. He spent his retirement years with Donna at their family cabin outside Centennial.
He was preceded in death by his father George “Red” Smith, his mother Genevieve Ruth Smith (nee Rice), his wife Donna Hope Betasso Smith and his son Todd Rice Smith. He is survived by his daughters Christine Schulman of Portland, Ore., and Dana Kenner Smith of Denver, Colo., as well as four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
A celebration of Frank’s life will be held in January.
If ever there was a man who epitomized a deep connection to and pride in his Wyoming heritage, it was Frank Smith. Apart from his military service during the Korean War and a brief period spent in Nebraska as a young boy during World War II, Frank spent nearly every day of his remarkable life in Wyoming.
Frank was born in Douglas in 1931 and moved to Cheyenne as a young boy. He was very proud to have graduated from Cheyenne High School and the University of Wyoming.
Frank joined the Wyoming Air National Guard in 1951, which mustered into federal service during the Korean War, and he served with the 35th Air Police Squadron in Japan.
He joined the Cheyenne Police Department in 1954 as a beat cop, and in 1956 he was promoted to detective and sent to the FBI Academy in Washington, D.C. He rose to the rank of captain before resigning from the police force in 1963 when he graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law.
During his legal career, he operated a private law practice, served as deputy county attorney and was legal counsel to the Laramie County Sheriff as well as a staff judge advocate of the Wyoming Army National Guard. He received numerous awards for his legal service in the guard, including the Legion of Merit. He retired from the guard in 1987 as a colonel.
He married Donna Hope Betasso in 1958, and together they raised three children in Cheyenne, all of whom graduated from Central High School and the University of Wyoming.
Throughout his lifetime he was an avid hunter and angler who especially loved spending time in the Snowy Range. He spent his retirement years with Donna at their family cabin outside Centennial.
He was preceded in death by his father George “Red” Smith, his mother Genevieve Ruth Smith (nee Rice), his wife Donna Hope Betasso Smith and his son Todd Rice Smith. He is survived by his daughters Christine Schulman of Portland, Ore., and Dana Kenner Smith of Denver, Colo., as well as four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
A celebration of Frank’s life will be held in January.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Franklin J. Smith, please visit our flower store.
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