Andrew “Drew” Smith, died suddenly on March 2, 2006, from an undetected heart condition while jogging on a beautiful day in southern California. He was born on March 8, 1982, a son of Bryant D. and Linda Zollinger Smith, in Logan, Utah.

At the time, Drew was preparing to attend graduate school in environmental economics and sustainable development. An avid lover of nature, music, the arts, and philosophy, his pursuit of learning was insatiable and he spent countless hours reading.

Current interests included writing music, exploring the local mountains, learning Spanish, and drawing. An independent soul, he strove to live by what he believed and constantly sought to improve himself. Drew was a light to all those around him because of his desire to love others and improve the world. He had a great sense of humor and a tremendous passion for music and the environment.

Drew spent his childhood in Logan and Hyde Park where he enjoyed hiking, camping and other outdoor sports. He played the drums, guitar and wrote music for numerous bands. In 2004, he graduated from Utah State University with a BS in Environmental Studies. During summer breaks, he worked with the Forest Service in Northern Utah and Wyoming.

After college, he took an additional year of coursework in Environmental Science and Forestry at the University of Joensuu, Finland. He gained a passion to understand other cultures and loved spending time with the many friends he made while living in Finland. This passion convinced him to backpack through Eastern and Western Europe after his studies were completed last summer.

Entries from his journal reveal his philosophy of life: “You create every single moment you have in your life…remember music, philosophy, art is what you really love, what you really love, don’t lose that, don’t lose that.” Some quotes Drew lived by include: “A man must not be fastidious about other things but be about reading. He must not be greedy, except in buying books. He should not be a confirmed addict, except in the habit of doing good and helping others.” “Grey is all Theory – Green is life’s glowing tree.” “Be clean and poor rather than be filthy rich, accept death cheerily when it comes rather than be worried about LIFE.”

Drew is survived by his parents, Linda and Wendell Morse; ten brothers and sisters: Stanford (Nga) Smith, Laura (Sugata) Biswas, Samuel (Kristen) Smith, Wendy (Steve) Swensen, Jennifer (Tim) Johnson, Stacy (Ben) Johnson, Adam (Holly) Smith, David Morse, Sasha Morse and Vlad Morse.

He was preceded in death by his father Bryant D. Smith, his brother, Spencer, and his grandparents Jesse and Idona Zollinger, and Harold L. and Lydia D. Smith.

Funeral services will be at 12 noon Wednesday, March 8, at the Eastridge LDS Chapel, 1350 Eastridge Dr., Logan. A viewing will be held from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, March 7, at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 East Center Street, Logan, and on Wednesday March 8 from 10:30 - 11:30 prior to services at the church. Interment will be in the Providence Cemetery. Please visit www.smorse.com for more information, pictures and to offer condolences.

In lieu of flowers, friends and family may donate to The Nature Conservancy (nature.org) or The Natural Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org) in Drew’s name.