Mary L. Smith

LANCASTER - Mary L. Smith, 88, of Prospect Street, Lancaster, passed away on Thursday, July 16, 2015, at the Sonogee Rehabilitation and Living Center in Bar Harbor, Maine, with her daughter at her side. She had fallen ill this spring while visiting her daughter in Maine. Mary Louise Burbank was born on March 18, 1927, in Dalton to Bliss L. and Edith (Lewis) Burbank. She was raised in Dalton, graduating from Dalton High School in 1944. She attended business school in Concord for a year before beginning work at Celluloid Corp in Gilman, VT. She married Paul A. Smith on June 8, 1963, and moved to Lancaster. This marked the happiest period of her life, when her children were small and she was a stay-at-home mother. She later worked at the Connecticut Valley Dairy and was a dispatcher for the State of New Hampshire Highway Department for many years, retiring in 1997. During her retirement years she gave 3000 hours of volunteer service to Weeks Medical Center. In 2010 she received the Mel Gallop Memorial Award for outstanding volunteer service for her work in the hospital pharmacy and for appointment reminder calling. She also organized her favorite recipes into two self-published volumes of cookbooks; knitted until her eyes failed her; enjoyed time at her camp at Maidstone Lake, VT; travelled; and worked on her tan whenever weather permitted. She demonstrated her strong desire to live by surviving several health crises. Her family is grateful that she was able to maintain her sharp wits and sense of humor to the end despite her failing health. She is survived by her daughter, Constance M. Smith of Ellsworth, ME; her son, Matthew P. Smith of Lancaster; his wife, Barbara J. Peaslee-Smith; her beloved grandson, Andrew B. Smith; and her brother, Jon A. Burbank of Hebron, NH. She was predeceased by her parents; by her husband, Paul, in 1982; and her sister, Joyce B. Alexander, earlier this year. A memorial mass will be celebrated on Saturday, August 1, 2015, at 11 a.m. at All Saints Catholic Church, 163 Main Street, Lancaster. Reverend Matthew Mason, pastor, will officiate. A reception will be held in the church hall following the service. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, New England Division, 121 Connor Way, Suite 420, Williston, Vermont 05495-1460.

Mary L. Smith

March 18, 1927 - July 16, 2015