Fred W. Smith, 89

LACONIA — Fred W. Smith, 89, of Foliage Lane, died on Aug. 27, 2019, at his home.

Fred was born Sept. 30, 1929, in Peekskill, New York, the son of Philip A. and Stella M. (Hanson) Smith.

Fred’s father died when Fred was a small boy so the family moved to his maternal grandfather’s farm in Hollis, Maine, and he grew up there. He attended the local one-room elementary school and, following that, he graduated from Hollis High School.

Fred continued his education by enrolling in and graduating from the Saco-Lowell Shops Apprentice Program at Biddeford, Maine, and later attended the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and the Greater Boston Executive Program in Business Management at MIT in Boston.

Fred’s work history spanned a total of 50 years, during which he held various engineering and management positions at Saco-Lowell Shops in Biddeford, Maine, and Greenville, South Carolina, at Casco Products in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at Hitchiner Manufacturing Company in Milford, New Hampshire, and O’Fallon, Missouri, and at the Arwood Corporation, later acquired by Wyman-Gordon Company, in Tilton, New Hampshire. He retired from Wyman-Gordon Investment Casting Company in 1996, where at the time he was divisional vice-president with responsibility for the three non-ferrous casting plants of the company.

Fred was active in community work that included coaching several youth athletic teams in Little League baseball and basketball, being a Cub Scout master, serving as advancement chairman for the Algonquin District, Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America, being a member of the Congregational Church of Laconia where he was a diaconate member and chairman of the board of trustees, volunteering for several years in a local elementary school and at the Lakes Region General Hospital where he became chairman of the board of trustees for that institution. He was also a Masonic member for more than 60 years at Arion Lodge 162 in Goodwins Mills, Lyman, Maine.

Fred was honored by the New Hampshire Hospital Association for his leadership as chairman of the LRGH Board by being named Outstanding Trustee for the Year 2005 because of his success in “leading the hospital through challenging times with strength and commitment to the community.” In 2006, he was presented with the Joseph Vaughn Award by the governor in recognition of his leadership on behalf of older citizens of New Hampshire.

Fred is survived by his wife, Elaine (Gauvin) Smith; four sons, Philip Smith of Queensbury, New York, Alan Smith of Windcrest, Texas, Michael Smith of Walpole, Massachusetts, and Jonathan Smith of Lowell, Massachusetts; two daughters, Pamela Van Doren of Whitewater, Wisconsin, and Patricia Smith of Nashua; a sister, Janice Edwards of Portland, Maine; and one brother, Eric Boyden of Lyman, Maine; as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two sons, Peter A. Smith and Fred W. Smith Jr.; daughter Melanie R. Adams; brothers Amos D. Boyden III and Stephen Boyden; and a sister, Marita Howe.

There will be a Memorial Service on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 11 a.m. at the Laconia Congregational Church, 18 Veterans Square, Laconia, NH 03246.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the New Hampshire Humane Society, PO Box 572, Laconia, NH 03247.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.