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chicagotribune.com >> Obituaries
Stephen R. Smith 1943-2005 Software executive aided newspapers By Rebecca Little Special to the Tribune Published November 13, 2005 Stephen R. Smith was the chief executive officer for 16 years of Publishing Business Systems, a company that provides advertising, circulation, production and business software to the newspaper industry. Mr. Smith, 62, of Barrington, died Wednesday, Nov. 2, of pancreatic cancer at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson. He was described by family members as someone who was comfortable with traveling at a moment's notice. "If there was something he wanted to do, he got on a plane to do it," said his daughter, Amy. "He was not a procrastinator." She said her father often traveled to Minnesota once or twice weekly to coach her basketball team and attend other sporting events when she and her late brother, Matt, who died in 1996 at age 25, lived there with their mother, Susan. "He really pushed us to be independent, take risks and do things we weren't 100 percent comfortable with to challenge ourselves," his daughter said. Mr. Smith was born in Elgin and graduated from Elgin High School in 1961. In 1965, he graduated from Iowa State University, where he made lifelong friends. Three college friends, including his roommate, made an annual two-week pilgrimage with him to Oktoberfest in Germany. Mr. Smith's daughter said it is difficult for Americans to get tables because they are passed down within German families. "About six or seven years ago, my dad got a table," she said. "That's a testament to his personality." His sister Dianne said Mr. Smith made friends everywhere he went. "Whether it was a mechanic, his waiter at a restaurant--everyone became a friend. That was a real skill that he had," she said. After early jobs with U.S. Steel and other companies, he spent most of his career in the publishing industry and was chief executive officer and president of Niche Software Systems and Publishing Business Systems, with offices in Barrington and St. Paul. He also served on the board of the Inland Press Association. In March, Mr. Smith traveled with his family to Pittsburgh to watch his son, Scott, win the Division III national hockey tournament with the University of Colorado. When Mr. Smith became ill, he made it a priority to attend each of his son's games, no matter where they were, and traveled once or twice a week to watch him. "He was very dedicated to us," his daughter said. "He never missed one of my birthdays," she said. "No matter where I was, he was there." Mr. Smith also celebrated his daughter's birthday in London and Portugal. He spent the last few years splitting his time between Barrington and Tucson with his second wife, Valerie, whom he married in 1977. "He really lived his life," his daughter said. "He really took advantage of his time. When he put his mind to something, he got it done. He didn't wait around for anything." Along with his wife, daughter and son, Mr. Smith is survived by his mother, Lucille; and another sister, Deborah. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, 783 W. Highland Ave., Elgin. Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
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