Date of Birth:
Friday, August 3, 1951
Date of Death:
Monday, April 21, 2025
Age:
73 years old

Dr. Steven Allan Smith

Dr. Steven Allan Smith – Rochester

Steven A. Smith,73, of Rochester MN,  died peacefully Monday, April 21, 2025 at home surrounded by his family from complications of Multiple Systems Atrophy.  

Steve was born in Knoxville, TN on Aug. 3, 1951. He was supported and loved by his parents, Lois and Charles (“Chuck”) Smith. Growing up, he lived in Miami, FL, Pascagoula, MS and Atlanta, GA. In his youth he enjoyed Little League Baseball (even once going to the MS State Championship game), Boy Scouts, astronomy, and math. In high school he was active in sports, worked several jobs, and took his academics seriously. His hard work paid off and he received an appointment to the US Military Academy West Point. After two years at West Point, Steve transferred to GA Institute of Technology in Atlanta as a math major and graduated with a BS in Applied Psychology in 1974 with high honors. In his last year in college, he met his future wife, Lyn, and began a romance that lasted longer than 50 years. They were married December 19, 1975. In college, friends called him “Smitty” and “Salt” (Salt of the Earth), indicative of his strong values and personality. Following college, he went to The Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Society, the national medical honor society. 

Upon graduation from medical school  in 1978, Steve and Lyn moved to Savannah, GA for his Residency in Internal Medicine. In 1981, Steve began a 4 year stint in the US Public Health Service in Chattanooga, TN. While in Chattanooga, Steve worked in a medically underserved community with a variety of patients with whom he developed a mutual respect. At the end of his time in Chattanooga, he was honored that his patients came together to provide a potluck farewell dinner. Following his Public Health Service, Steve did a 3-year Fellowship in Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic Rochester. After his fellowship, Steve was briefly in private practice in Knoxville, TN where he received the London Award from the UT Medical Center for demonstrating dedication and excellence in teaching. Steve joined Mayo Clinic Jacksonville in 1990 as one of the first 100 physicians on staff and was one of three Endocrinologists. Steve returned to Mayo Clinic Rochester in 1993 and worked there until his retirement in 2020. Steve was a professor of Medicine in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and had a joint appointment as a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism & Nutrition and a consultant in Health Care Policy and Research, Department of Health Sciences Research.  As an Endocrinologist, Steve enjoyed both clinical care and hospital services.

Over the course of his career, Steve was recognized as a humble, intelligent, and compassionate physician, colleague, and friend. He was known as a loving mentor and an advocate for patient self-management support. He worked to advance information tools to integrate primary and specialty care, and was part of a team that developed a Diabetes electronic medical record. As a result of this project, Steve was able to create an endowment, The Steven A. Smith and Lynda D. Smith Family Fund, to support patient education efforts in perpetuity. One of Steve’s proudest accomplishments was his service as the Medical Director of Mayo’s Office of Patient Education from 2004 – 2020. Steve was also known for his community service including work with the Salvation Army Medical Clinic and efforts in New Orleans with Mayo and Operation Blessing after Hurricane Katrina. Steve’s leadership was formally recognized by Mayo, with such honors as the Individual Excellence Award, Outstanding Humanitarian Award, and the Laureate Award (2017). He also volunteered with the national and state American Diabetes Association and chaired many committees and served on the National Board of Directors. Steve’s work was aligned with his values of social justice and humanitarianism. 

In addition to his professional life, Steve was a dedicated husband and father to Charles “Chip”, Merideth, and Sarah. Steve’s children awarded him the prestigious prize of best dad and joke teller. With his family, Steve enjoyed camping, hiking, skiing, traveling, and in later years, watching Survivor with his children. For every special occasion, Steve would write Lyn a poem expressing his love and admiration. His family is particularly proud of his advocacy for people with disabilities and the patient-centered and compassionate care he provided. 

In February 2020 Steve was looking forward to a retirement full of traveling, camping and adventures  with Lyn, visiting with family and friends and, of course, volunteering. In March, Covid put a stop on all retirement plans and then in August of 2020 he received his diagnosis of Multiple Systems Atrophy, a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease.  It was a long, complicated, and deeply challenging journey. Before his death Steve made the decision to donate his brain tissue to Mayo Rochester in hopes of furthering the research into Multiple Systems Atrophy, continuing his commitment to improving patient care. 

Our hearts are broken, but our family is proud of the man Steve was and his career as a physician. We are grateful to have had the MSA clinic at Mayo, the love and support from our church and friends, the dedicated team of aides from Visiting Angels who have shared our laughter and tears, his Palliative Care team, and finally, to the Mayo Hospice Service which guided us through the end of his journey.

Steve is survived by his wife, Lyn and his children Chip, Merideth (Matt Brummond) and Sarah (Ian Mikkelsen), his brother Robert (Sandra), and nieces Stephanie, Paige Tweedy (Barry), Becky Holland, Beth Page (Eric), and nephew Tim Holland.  Steve was predeceased in death by both parents and his older sister and brother in law, Barbara and Cohen Holland.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Steve will be welcomed to Steven and Lynda Smith Family Fund in Diabetes Care and Education at Mayo Clinic  or to the First UU Church of Rochester’s Building Our Future Fund at https://uurochmn.org/store or by mail to 17127 Walden Lane SW, Rochester, MN 55902 with Steve’s name in the memo line).

Memorial gifts to the Steven and Lynda Smith Fund in Diabetes Care can be made by phone, check, or online. 

Mail: Checks can be made directly to Mayo Clinic and sent to: Mayo Clinic, Department of Development, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 in the memo line of the check indicate in memory of Dr. Steven Smith.  

Phone: To make a gift by credit card or to speak to a Development Representative, please call 507-284-2264 or 855-852-8129 (toll-free) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday. 

Online: Gifts can be made online by visiting  https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC  Indicate that the gift is “In Memory of” Steven Smith  and select “Other”  when asked what you would like your donation to support with the name of the endowment. 

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, May 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Rochester (1727 Walden Lane SW).

As Steve’s favorite president, Jimmy Carter, once said, “…I’ve become convinced that the things that matter most are the things that you can’t see – the love you share with others, your inner purpose, your comfort with who you are.”