Timothy M. Smith had always been a daredevil, flying off homemade jumps in a wagon attached to his friend's bike or attacking the half-pipe on his snowboard.

The native of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., brought the same intensity to the Army, leading his platoon in detecting and safely detonating improvised explosive devices in Iraq, his family said.

Smith, a 25-year-old sergeant, was killed April 7 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. The combat engineer was clearing roads of improvised explosive devices when the explosion occurred.

He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Ft. Polk, La.

In addition to his mother, wife and Riley, he is survived by his father, Michael Smith, 50, of Reno; and a brother, Tommy Smith, 23, and sister, Jackie Smith, 21, both of South Lake Tahoe.