Obituary of Larry M Smith

Larry M. Smith, Age 82, departed this life on January 26, 2021.  He was born in Sherman Mills, Maine on November 27, 1938, the son of Lawrence and Beth (Sides) Smith.  He grew up in a large extended family of caring aunts, uncles and cousins.  During his early childhood, he was cared for by his grandparents, Melville and Flora Sides. 

Larry graduated from Sherman High School in 1957 and later received a Bachelor of Science degree from Aroostook State Teachers College (kna UMPI).  Following college, Larry enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to the Education Center at Fort Riley, Kansas.  Upon his discharge, he began a teaching career that spanned 40 years, including 36 with the Bangor School Department.  After retiring in 2001, he continued to enjoy teaching as a substitute at the Fairmount School. Larry was a member of the Bangor Area Education Association and Maine Education Association as well as a Lifetime member of the National Education Association.  He was also a member of the Bangor Breakfast Kiwanis Club. 

Larry is survived by his two sons and their spouses:  Steven and Sabrina of Albany, NY and Robert and Amanda of Brewer, ME.  He was “Grandpa Larry” to Cameron, Nicholas, Cassandra and Landon of Albany and “Papa” to Alyssa, Matthew and Reese of Brewer.  Larry is also survived by three brothers and their spouses:  Danny and Mary Ellen of Bangor, Randy and Linda of Sherman and Essek and Paula of Hampden, several nephews and nieces and special cousins, Marlene (Sides) Whipkey of Augusta and Albert Dean Robinson of Raleigh, NC. In addition to his parents, Larry was predeceased by a special cousin, Richard Sides and his spouse, Merita (Elwell) Sides of Medway. 

Larry will be interred in Sherman Mills, Maine.  Due to COVID-19 concerns, no public services will be held.  In lieu of flowers, please contribute to Bangor Kiwanis Charities, PO Box 1871, Bangor, ME 04402-1871. 

Dad was a consummate planner and wrote all of the above as an incredibly considerate gift for his family.  He knew that his passing, whenever it occurred, would be difficult for us all and he wanted to ease our burden by making as many arrangements as he could.  He was also a very humble and modest man with a tremendous amount of patience, faith and inner strength.  He believed that what he’d written was a concise and accurate description of his life.  However, he left out the deep love and appreciation that he had for his family and friends.  He loved golf and tennis, The County and Acadia, hiking, reading and crossword puzzles.  If you saw him at a track meet, soccer field, basketball court or ice rink, you’d know just how proud he was of his sons, grandchildren, cousins, nephews and nieces.   We are all better for having had him in our lives and will miss him each day.