Obituary of Lillian Dorothy Smith

Lillian Dorothy (Mayhew) Smith, aged 93, died peacefully on Saturday, February 23, 2013. Lillian, born April 5, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Alfred and Uldora (Bergeron) Mayhew, was one of seven children. Her brothers, Arthur, Camille, Harold, and Louis Mayhew and her sisters, Hazel Drozdowski and Evelyn McDonough all pre-deceased her. She is survived by her two daughters, Patricia Ashland and her husband, Victor Ashland, and Linda Smith and her husband, Charles Jacobs; her grand-children Patrick York, Thomas York, Amy York, Julie Ashland, Karen (Ashland) Rhyne and Michelle Corsetti; four great-grandchildren, Lillian, Ella and Willa Rhyne and Olivia York; and many other extended family members, including her cousin, John Bergeron, in New York, and Beverly and Moe Rogers and Denise and Jack Brescia in Massachusetts, who remained especially close to her. She married James (Jim) Gerhardt Smith, also of Boston, Massachusetts, on May 22, 1941. She had four children: Marie Evelyn (Smith) Corsetti (September 1942 – January 1977), Patricia Eileen (Smith) Ashland (January 1944), James Michael Smith (March 27 – April 2, 1946) and Linda Elizabeth Smith (May 1954). With Jim in the Coast Guard until 1961, the family traveled extensively. They were based in New Orleans, Louisiana and St. Augustine, Florida during the World War II years, which is where Marie and Patricia were born. Between the post-war years and 1961 when Jim retired, they were also stationed in Groton, Connecticut; Yarmouth, Maine; and, St. Augustine, Florida again. In 1952, before Jim’s retirement, the family bought a farmhouse and land in Hiram, Maine. Jim died unexpectedly in 1967 and Lillian began working outside the home full time. She worked at Fryeburg Academy, Blue Cross / Blue Shield, and as a medical manager in several private physicians’ offices before retiring to her home in Hiram in 1985. She soon found retirement unsatisfactory and returned to work part-time at St. Joseph’s College. She retired a second time (at 75) in 1994. In 1998, she sold her Hiram home of 46 years and moved in to an accessory apartment in her daughter Linda’s home in Somerville, Maine. She continued her strong affiliation with the Hiram community and her friends there while developing a new network of friends in the Augusta area. In 2002, she moved in to the Kennebec Plaza, an apartment building for seniors, in Augusta, Maine. In 2012, she moved to an assisted living facility, the Inn at City Hall, also in Augusta, Maine, which is where she remained until her death. Lillian was a vital part of her family and her community. She was an active community leader wherever she lived but particularly throughout her near half century in Hiram -- serving as Trustee for the Hiram Soldier’s Memorial Library from 1988 to 1996, contributing to its modernization and growth; giving to youth and community as an energetic 4-H leader in Hiram in the 1950s, as a school board member and PTO member, and as a member of the Hiram Grange; working as a rural route postal deliverer in the 1960s; participating as a Hiram Historical Society member and enjoying her membership of over 60 years in the Hiram Women’s Club; and, although a Catholic, volunteering for the community efforts of the Hiram Community Church and its affiliates. As a friend, she always made time to listen, usually over a good home-made meal, a cup of coffee and dessert, or a game of cribbage. She loved to tell stories and gave generously of whatever she possessed. She relished traveling, visiting most of the United States over the course of her life and enjoyed several trips with friends and family to Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, and the western states. As a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, she modeled her values of community, courage and humor. She gave of her time, her passion and her will throughout her life and left whatever she touched “a little better” for the attention. A memorial mass will be offered at St. Augustine Church located at 75 Northern Avenue, Augusta, Maine on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. followed by a memorial tea from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Kennebec Plaza located on 20 Willow Street, Augusta, Maine. Her graveside memorial service will be held at the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Hiram, Maine at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, 2013 followed by a memorial gathering from noon - 2:00 p.m. at the Hiram Community Church. The Community Church is located on Hancock Avenue, directly behind the Soldiers Memorial Library which is located on the corner of Main Street and Hancock Avenue. All family and friends are welcome to attend both services. In lieu of flowers, she wished donations to be made to the Soldier’s Memorial Library, P.O. Box 281, Hiram, Maine 04041.