Alfred E. Smith

MEXICO – Alfred E. Smith, 90, died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, at his residence in Mexico surrounded by love and family. Alfred was born in Rumford, on Oct, 19, 1933, and was the son of John and Margaret “Mina” (Russell) Smith. He graduated from Mexico High School and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1959. He worked for Oxford Paper Company in Rumford as a Millwright. He was a member of the LeParesseux Snowshoe Club in Rumford where he loved to go dancing with his wife.

Alfred was married in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 27, 1958, to Joyce Kenney who died in Rumford, on Feb. 6, 2021. Survivors include his sons, Daniel and wife Brenda of Weld, Dean of Mexico, and David and wife Diane of Floria, daughters, Patricia Swafford and husband Lester of Kentucky, and Margaret “Peggy” Smith of Florida. His children all together gave him seven grandchildren whom he loved and adored. He was predeceased by a beautiful son who was taken too soon, Darren, and five of his older sisters, Peggy, Alvera, Anita, Alfreda, and Marie. The family knows that his big sisters are so very happy to be reunited with him in heaven so they can spoil him again.

Alfred was charming, charismatic, romantic, and a real showboat. He loved to dance and was passionate about music, walking and exercising, having fun with his family, and driving his sweetie pie Baby Jo crazy. Even though they fought, he said it himself: “he was spellbound when he saw her” and she kept him under that spell until the very end. When he was in high school, he was a legendary basketball player and then later in life he became a referee. He always made sure that he could steal some of the crowd’s attention during half-time by trying to make the half-court shot. Often, he made it! He was also a huge Celtics fan. He enjoyed summers at the family camp in Worthley Pond and was pleased when loved ones told him stories of the happy memories that they made there. For a brief period, he was the Monty the Moose mascot for the Oxford Federal Credit Union, and he loved surprising his grandkids with who was under the mask. In the same vein, he loved knowing that people loved him, a trait that all humans share.

Friends and family are invited and encouraged to share memories of Alfred with the family at http://www.meaderandson.com.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, January 20, at 11 a.m., at the Parish of The Holy Savior St. Athanasius St. John Church, 126 Maine Ave., Rumford, ME. Arrangements are under the direction of the Meader & Son Funeral Home, 3 Franklin Street, Rumford.