FAIRFAX, Va. – Paul E. Smith, 82, died Oct. 30, 2005, at his home, after having loving care by his wife and hospice care. He was born Nov. 26, 1922, in Dixmont, the son of the late Earl and Eliza Smith. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific Theater on the Destroyer Tender USS Prairie until 1946. He was a graduate of the University of Maine, Orono. He worked as a director of the Personal Property Tax and Supervisor of Assessments for Fairfax County from 1978 until his retirement in 1994. Mr. Smith was an enthusiastic amateur mineralogist and after his retirement from Fairfax County, avidly pursued the hobby of collecting, studying and preserving mineral crystals so small they must be viewed through a microscope. Called micro-mounting, his collection consists of thousands of such tiny mineral specimens. In 2003, he was elected to the Micromounters Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jennie; son, Woodrow Smith, of Hampton, Ga.; daughter, Paula Baker of Hurst, Texas; and grandchildren, Michael, Daniel and Elizabeth Baker, Amanda and Jenna Smith. He is also survived by a sister, Helen Baker, of Franklin, Mass.; a brother, Robert Smith, of Dixmont; and a brother, Rev. Charles F. Smith, of Dixmont. Memorial services will be held 2:30 p.m. Nov. 6, at Dixmont United Methodist Church, Dixmont Corner, with the Rev. Charles F. Smith officiating. Followed by a committal service at the Luce Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be given in Paul E. Smith’s name to Capital Hospice, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Suite 501, Falls Church, VA 22042.
PAUL E. SMITH
