Obituary of Burks Alden Smith Jr

Mr. Burks Alden Smith Jr, age 78, of St. Petersburg, Florida, peacefully passed away on October 31st, 2023. Burks was born on February 22, 1945 in Kansas City, Missouri to parents Burks Alden Smith and Nadine (Guernsey) Smith.  He spent his early years on his grandfather’s farm in Lenexa, Kansas, growing up with his brother, Wayne Smith.  Although he spent most of his life in metropolitan Kansas City, he always had a fondness for Florida, having traveled there numerous times during his life.  He ultimately moved to St. Petersburg in 2013.

Burks attended the University of Arizona and graduated with a degree in business, but his true passion was always focused on the newly available personal computer, along with computer programing.  As a result, he took every course available in computer science at the time, and even taught college level computer programing.  After briefly working for his father’s inflatable boat business, Burks decided to follow his passion, and founded computer consulting firm DataSmith, Inc. in the early 1980s.  Some of his consulting work ultimately lead to him being hired as a technology consultant for Sprint Corp., where he worked until his retirement, having spent 28 years with the company.

In the mid-1970’s, Burks met his beloved wife, Kim, while living in Kansas City, and they were happily married for 45 years. They have two children together, Burks Alden Smith, III and Krista Elam , whom they raised together.  Burks truly enjoyed family life, particularly sailing and traveling with them over the years.

Burks enjoyed working with anything that had to do with electronics, and was known for his ability to fix anything in a house, including wiring and plumbing.  He also enjoyed crafting beer and wine, photography, boating, and long rides on his Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Burks is survived by his wife Kim Smith of St. Petersburg; children Burks Alden Smith III (wife Michelle) of St. Petersburg and Krista Elam (husband Jimmy) of Kansas City; and grandchildren Skyler Smith, Colin Smith, Clive Elam, and Declan Elam.

 

The family suggests donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital to honor Burks’ legacy.

The family will hold a Private Celebration of Burks’ Life at a later date.

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