Old Orchard Beach, ME – Gary Lee Smith, 85, formerly of Caribou, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2022 at MMC with his children by his side. He was born on April 7, 1936 in Caribou, ME, the second of four children to Albert and Doris (Woods) Smith. Gary grew up on the family farm on the Fort Fairfield Road. He graduated from Caribou High School Class of 1954. While at CHS, he played a fierce game of basketball and led the Caribou Vikings to several successful seasons. He continued on the family legacy of farming and worked with his father and eventually took over ownership of the farm. He married Marjorie Nelson and together they shared almost 65 years of marriage.
He was a member of the Lion’s Club in Caribou and a contributing community member. He was the life of any room he walked into, for the joke he was about to tell or the food he brought with him. He was always happy to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. He was an avid New England sports fan.
When he retired from farming, he and his wife moved away from The County to be closer to his grandchildren. The grandchildren were happy to have their grandparents move closer to them. He worked for the American Red Cross, first in Portland ME and then in Albany NY. Another favorite gig of his was starting Smitty’s Hot Dog Cart, selling hot dogs and sodas in the Old Port in Portland ME. On the sidewalk in front of DiMillo’s Restaurant, Gary turned tourists into friends. He just didn’t want to stop working. He then went back to NY and worked for nearly ten years at Ravena Shop ‘n Save with his son. He could often be seen walking around the store pushing his shopping cart, delivering sweets to the Senior Center or slipping a candy bar to a kid. His love of people and talking made him quickly liked by everyone! He officially retired in 2015 to Old Orchard Beach and he and his wife enjoyed their time in OOB watching the waves crash on the beach while enjoying Bill’s Pizza and Pier fries.
Gary will be sadly missed by his loving family, wife, Marjorie, son Kevin and wife Cheryl, daughter Sare, his four beloved grandchildren, Morgan, Riley and husband Ben, Kyle and wife Lauren, and Lindsey and husband Quinn, his great grandsons Sam and Galen, his brother Ronald Smith and wife Doris, his sister Sue (Smith) Giggey, his brothers-in-law Pat Nelson and Peter Nelson, and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his brother, Jerry Smith, brothers-in-laws Lawrence, Ralph, John and Philip “Bud” Nelson, and his sister-in-law, Marion Reed.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Church, 673 Stevens Avenue, Portland Maine 04013. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in Fort Fairfield, ME in July.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105 www.stjude.org.
Please visit www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to view Gary’s tribute page and to sign his online guestbook.
