BELFAST – Thompson William Smith (a.k.a. “Smitty” and “Bill Smith”) was born on Feb. 1, 1943 in Flushing, N.Y. He was a musician, teacher, woodworker, adventurer, sailor, husband, and friend. At the age of 77, he died on August 5, 2020.

As the youngest of three brothers, he grew up in Flushing. Upon graduating from Flushing High School in 1960 he attended Hope College in Holland, Mich.

In 1978, he married Sarah and they moved to Salem, Mass. and became active members of Salem’s Universalist Church. Bill continued to do cabinetwork and taught woodworking at the Tower School in Marblehead.

In 1999, they bought a property in Waldoboro, Maine where they designed and built a house on the shore. In 2003, they moved to Maine full time.

In 2010, Bill and Sarah joined the Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage in Belfast, Maine. They moved into their new home there in 2013.

When his beloved Sarah passed away six months ago, he might have laid down the mantle of community leadership but he did not. He carried on with style and grace and inspired us to be our best selves.

On August 5, while floating down the gently flowing water of the Kennebec River on a rafting inner tube he left us peacefully to re-join Sarah.

Bill was predeceased by his wife Sarah, his brother, Bob and by Lorraine, the wife of his surviving brother Don. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews Janet and Dan Rice, Bob and Maria Smith, Debbie Schneider, Karen and Frank Cottone, Carol and Ed Boyle, Don and Jennifer Smith; as well as many grandnieces and grandnephews; plus countless friends, musicians, woodworkers, singers, sailors, and fellow adventurers.

A Celebration of T. William Smith’s life and music is tentatively planned for a time in the spring of 2021, providing that by then it will be safe to gather together again in music and fellowship. For a more complete obituary, please go to: http://www.funeralwebhosting.com/gbs/listings and search for T. William Smith.

Donations in memory of Bill may be made to either or both of the following non-profit organizations:

(1) Belfast Flying Shoes, a dance and music entity that offers ongoing vibrant community outreach programs. To donate go to

belfastflyingshoes.org

and click on the

“Make a Donation”.

(2) The Sarah and Bill Smith Scholarship Fund at the Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vermont, a classical music camp that offers young musicians transformative experiences. To donate to Kinhaven, go to https://www.kinhaven.org/giving/, click on “Make Your Gift Online,” and fill in the box – In Honor or Memory

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