Raymond Babbitt Smith

Born in Chester, PA, on June 20, 1918, Ray was the son of the late Lonon O. and Ethyl Babbitt Smith. After his mother’s death in 1924 during childbirth, Ray and his newborn brother, Clifford, were raised by his mother’s siblings – initially they lived in Georgetown, FL, with Everett, Louise, and Carrie Babbitt; in 1932 they moved to Taunton, MA, to live with Bill and Bernadette Babbitt and their two daughters. Ray graduated from high school in Taunton and continued living there until entering the Army shortly before WWII.

Ray served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a B-26 bomber pilot during WWII, based in England. He was shot down in March of 1944, and was interred in a POW camp near Hamburg, Germany, for 14 months. He served as a flight instructor after the war, then left the military to attend Georgia Tech on the GI Bill. He and Margie met at the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, GA, and married Dec. 18, 1948. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering, he was hired by IBM in1951 and continued with that company until retirement in1984, working at facilities in Endicott, NY, Greenville, SC, Poughkeepsie, NY, and Rochester, MN. After retirement, Ray and Margie traveled around the United States for six years in an RV before building a retirement house in Bella Vista, AR, where they lived for 16 years. Subsequently, the couple moved to various locations in Connecticut, Alaska, and Colorado, to be near their children.

Throughout his adulthood, Ray was very active with his local church congregations – Tabernacle Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, NY, First Baptist Church in Rochester, MN (now named Autumn Ridge Church), and Bella Vista Baptist Church in Bella Vista, AR. Most recently, he attended Village Church in Thornton, CO. In addition to work and his busy church activities, he and Margie traveled all over the U.S. with their children, visiting many national parks and other points of interest on their annual camping trips.

He is survived by his sons, David (Sheri) Smith of Corvallis, MT, Stephen (Carol) Smith of Fairbanks, AK, Jeffrey (Susan) Smith of Thornton, CO, and his daughter, Linda (William) Bonorden of Brewster, NY. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life for Ray was held on Saturday, November 17th at Park Regency in Thornton, CO.

Interment will take place at a time to be announced at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester, MN.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, the family requests donations be made in Ray’s name to The Denver Hospice (thedenverhospice.org), who provided Ray with wonderful care.