MAPLETON – Louisa (Whitten) Smith, 91, wife of the late Owen H. Smith, passed away peacefully Jan. 13, 2012, surrounded by family at Presque Isle Nursing Home. She was born Jan. 7, 1921, in Washburn, daughter of Carl and Eulalia (Gould) Whitten.
To know Louisa was to know her family. She was a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother, and took great joy in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A longtime active member of Grant Memorial Methodist Church and in later years St. John’s Episcopal Church, Louisa lived through her faith, and shared it openly with those around her. She had a beautiful singing voice and took pleasure in singing in choirs for many years. Her grandchildren will fondly remember being sung to sleep on many occasions. Louisa had a persistent work ethic that she brought to everything she did, and she worked to support the agricultural industry that sustained her family. She was a 4-H leader for many years to State Road Jolly Workers, served on Maine Potato Commission and was also recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. She loved living on the farm in Mapleton, where she could share her values of health and nature with her family. Her grandchildren especially will remember the time they shared with her feeding birds, taking walks through the fields, sampling her delicious cooking, especially her wonderfully decorated Santa cookies, and tending the vegetable garden. Louisa had a love of music, theater and the arts. She loved traveling the world with her husband, and remained a dedicated friend to those she met along the way. Above all, her greatest passion was her family. She was a dedicated partner to her husband, Owen, supporting him in his career, and in raising the future generations of their family.
She is survived by her children, Penny Harris of South Portland, Sharon Bushey and her husband, Don, of Cumberland and Jeffrey Smith and his wife, Dory, of Mapleton; and eight grandchildren, Marc Bushey and wife, Debbie, Kimberly Bushey Hartman and husband, Scott, all of Massachusetts, Lisa Bushey Pearl and husband, Jarret, of Albuquerque, N.M., Nancy Harris Keenan and husband, Sean, of Decatur, Ga., Susan Harris MacKay and husband, Bob, of Portland, Ore., Marcie Smith Young and husband, Scott, of Presque Isle, Leslie and Michael Smith of Presque Isle. Great-grandchildren are Samantha and Ian Hartman, Leslie and Ethan Bushey, Solana and Konik Pearl, Sophie, Max and Stella MacKay, Norrie and Harrison Keenan, and Marion and Wyatt Young.
The funeral service will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at St. John’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. Robert Smith officiating. Donations may be made to Owen H. and Louisa Smith Scholarship, at the University of Maine Foundation, 2 Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469 or St. John’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 8, Presque Isle, ME 04769. Arrangements were made through Duncan-Graves Funeral Home. Online condolences may be expressed at
www.duncan-graves.com.