NORWICH – Minnie “Mae” Smith, 87, lifelong Norwich resident and well-known Chenango County Historian, passed away Wednesday morning, Aug. 3, 2011, in the Residential Health Care Facility of Chenango Memorial Hospital, where she had made her home for the past 7 1/2 years.
Born in Norwich on Sept. 28, 1923, Mae was the daughter of Willard and Minnie Jackson Lewis. She attended the Norwich schools, graduting with the Class of 1942. For a brief time, Mae worked for the C & U Telephone Corporation, where she acquired many of her lifelong friends. In her later years, Mae thoroughly enjoyed her involvement with Chenango County, first as Museum Curator from 1962 through 1966 and then as Chenango County Historian from Oct. 15, 1966 through May 1, 1997. From day one, Mae always loved the Norwich area, causing her mother to say, “Mae, you’re married to Chenango County.” She was a lifetime member of the Broad Street United Methodist Church, and a member of the DAR, the Chenango County Historical Society, and the Council of the Arts. She liked to travel, having gone as far away as Germany, and adored cats, always having at least one. Mae was an “artist for fun,” with many paintings loved by her family and friends. She was by nature a soft-spoken lady. Following her marriage on May 5, 1946, to Harold A. Smith, she became a loving and devoted wife and mother.
Mae is survived by her children: Sarah Corey and husband Robert of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Richard Smith and wife Judy of Norwich; her grandchildren: Amy Corey of North Norwich, Travis Smith and wife Janice of Norwich, Andrew Smith and wife Melissa of Texas; and her great grandchildren, Veronica and Joseph Stephens of North Norwich. Also surviving are Mae’s niece, Dorothy Wills and husband David of Cincinnatus; her nephew, James Smith and companion April of Remsen; and close cousins whom Mae often spent time with over her years: Ken Lewis and wife Elly of Houghton, La., and Carol Lewis of Norwich. Mae was predeceased by her husband Harold on April 28, 2001; by her daughter, Ruth A. “Little Ruthie” Smith in 1964, and Ralph Smith in 1995.
Funeral services for Mae will be held at noon on Saturday from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home. The Rev. Jeff Hale, pastor of the Broad Street United Methodist Church, will officiate. Interment will follow in the Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the noon service.
Please consider memorial contributions to the Chenango County Historical Society, 45 Rexford St., Norwich, NY 13815; or to the Broad Street United Methodist Church, 74 North Broad St., Norwich, NY 13815.