Duaine Daniel Smith, “Smitty” to those who knew him best, died peacefully at Wellstar Hospice Care in Atlanta, GA, on August 1, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Duaine was born December 10, 1954, in Lincoln, NE, to Leonard Leroy and Julian Margaret (DeBaere) Smith. He graduated from Crete High School in 1973 and went on to the University of Nebraska, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1977. He was proud to have passed all six parts of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam prior to finishing college and spent the first 34 years of his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), retiring as a Partner in 2011. Along the way, he led the Long Island office for 5 years before leading the firm’s Sarbanes-Oxley practice for Chinese clients. His work took him to more than 60 countries, and stories from five years of monthly trips to China in the early 2000s made him a hit at cocktail parties for the rest of his life.

On August 24, 1985, Duaine married JoAnn Vecchiarelli in Hutchinson, KS. Together, they shared nearly 40 years of marriage and raised their family. Following his first, brief retirement in 2011, Duaine and JoAnn spent 12 years in the Texas Hill Country (Boerne, TX), where Duaine assumed the Chief Audit Executive role for iHeartMedia in San Antonio. He retired for a second time in 2023, and he and JoAnn relocated to Atlanta, GA, to be closer to their son Jonathan and his family.

Duaine was a lifelong learner with a remarkable memory. He was a voracious reader, finishing at least one book each week for 30 years alongside several daily newspapers. His family knew better than to challenge him at Trivial Pursuit or Scattergories during the holidays. He loved history and made regular trips to Europe and Asia with JoAnn. Underneath a sometimes-serious countenance, Duaine had a dry sense of humor, a heart of gold with a special soft spot for his dogs, and an enduring love for his Nebraska roots – including Nebraska football, despite the last 20 years of futility.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, JoAnn, who passed away on April 26, 2025; his parents, Leonard and Julian Smith; his oldest brother, Leroy Smith; and his daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Smith, who died in 1994.

Duaine is survived by his son, Jonathan Smith and wife Olivia; his grandson, Teddy Smith, all of Atlanta, GA; his siblings, Pauline Schmidt and husband Alan of Malcolm, NE, Edward Smith and wife De of Sun City, AZ, Darlene Smith and husband Blaine of Cedar Hill, TX, Lisa Chelton and husband Steve of Hickman, NE, and Bill Smith of Yutan, NE; and over 50 nieces, nephews, first cousins, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

Parish Rosary will be at 6.30pm on Friday, August 7, 2026, with a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at 10.00am, both at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in South Hutchinson, Kansas (612 S Maple St, South Hutchinson, KS, 67505). He will be interred alongside his wife JoAnn in Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson. Friends may call from 6pm to 8pm on Friday evening at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Duaine’s name can be directed to Pace Academy-  https://www.paceacademy.org/support/make-a-gift  or in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.

Due to remodeling at the church, the on-site restrooms are temporarily out of service. However, restrooms are available for use at Madonna Hall.