Brian Alan Smith 1946 – 2021 BRUNSWICK – Brian went to Heaven peacefully on Oct. 29, 2021 after a valiant fight against Parkinson’s disease and cancer. He was born on August 23, 1946 in Norway to Helvi Piirainen and Stanley Smith, and then spent his childhood and early adulthood in the South Paris/Norway area where he excelled in all that he attempted and strived to achieve. A natural athlete, he made the varsity squad at Oxford Hills High School as a freshman in baseball, and then the varsity squad in football and basketball. During his high school years, he was a high honor student, President of his class, President of the National Honor Society and Captain of multiple athletic teams. At graduation he was offered a baseball major league contract, but opted to go to college instead and never regretted that decision. He went to the University of Maine at Orono and majored in both Biology and Education while also working as an Athletic Trainer for the athletic department. Brian’s first job out of college in 1968 was as a biology teacher and baseball coach at Mahoney Middle School in South Portland. From there he transferred to Portland High School where he taught Sophomore Biology and coached varsity football and baseball. In 1982, after years of successful coaching and teaching, Brian had the opportunity to work in Human Resources for United Technologies at its new manufacturing facility in South Berwick. He worked there until 1992, and during those 11 years was promoted four times and was honored with multiple national awards for excellence. He was proud that he knew the names and stories of each of the hundreds of associates at the plant during that time. Prior to his next job he spent a year coaching and mentoring leadership skills to area businesspeople with his wife Tricia and Sal Bonetti. In 1993 he transitioned to the corporate side and became the Director of Human Resources and Safety at Jordan’s Meats on India Street in Portland. At that time Jordan’s had multiple facilities across northern New England and Brian successfully managed all of them. While in this position, in 1993 he was asked to help coach the Varsity Baseball Team at Deering High School. The team went all the way to winning the Class A State Championship. For the rest of Brian’s life, he’d often hear from athletes he’d coached, many of whom who shared that he’d changed their lives, that he was the best mentor and coach they’d ever had. Brian completed his career in the public sector, first as Sr. Director of Human Resources for the city of South Portland, and then in the same position for the town of Scarborough. Throughout his entire career path, he touched and changed many lives, which was exactly what he always dreamed of doing. Following retirement, he loved being a Big Brother to a young boy named Arthur. Brian was lucky to fall in love with his life partner at a very young age. He started dating Patty Bean during his junior year in High School and it was love at first date for them both. They were married in the summer of 1966 while Brian was entering his junior year at UMO and Tricia (the name he always preferred for her) was starting her sophomore year. In 1998 the Bangor Daily News ran a full-page article about them as the “ideal married couple on campus” primarily because both were high honor students and remained involved in Greek life and other college activities. Their son Mark was born two weeks after Tricia graduated and daughter Shelby followed four years later. Brian was a devout Christian. In fact, Tricia recalls that before they started dating, she noticed that every time he came up to bat, he would draw a capital G in the ground before the first pitch. Later she learned that he was simply asking God to be with him. Brian belonged to St. Charles Borromeo of All Saints Parish in Brunswick where he was a greeter. In that role he was beloved by all, many of whom share that they greatly looked forward to his smiling face and welcoming presence when attending Mass. Brian passionately loved Boston sports, especially the Red Sox and Patriots. Attending games at Fenway and Gillette Stadiums was pleasure that never lessened for him. Over time he became a coach even to Tricia, patiently teaching her the intricacies of the sports. They loved watching the games together. He also had an affinity for Notre Dame football, likely due to the movie “Rudy”, and followed their team each year. It’s unfortunate that he never realized seeing a game in person at South Bend, an event high on his bucket list. Brian loved golf although it was the one sport he played that he didn’t excel in. For the last few years of his life, he volunteered as a “starter” at the Brunswick Golf Club. For 17 magical years Brian’s family – Kavanaughs and Smiths – enjoyed a lakefront cottage on Great Pond. Brian was President of the Crystal Springs Owner’s Association for nine of those years. Half Finnish on his mother’s side, Brian was extremely proud of his Finnish heritage. He was a member of the Western Maine Finnish Society and often talked about his trip to Finland with his mother in the early 90’s. Brian leaves behind a heartbroken family – his wife Tricia; his son Mark, daughter-in-law Margarita; daughter Shelby Kavanaugh, son-in-law Troy Kavanaugh; grandchildren Will Kavanaugh, Siena Smith and Brady Smith; grandchildren-in-law Danielle Lavoie and AJ Kavanaugh, as well as their respective spouses, Dolly Kavanaugh and Justin LaVoie and their children, Anthony and Marleigh Kavanaugh and Lachlan LaVoie; cousin Dale Piirainen and his wife Loraine; as well as countless extended family. Brian was extremely close to his in-laws, Susie Winslow, who was far more precious to him than as simply a sister-in-law; Dr. Bob Bean and his wife Jill, Dr. Alan Bean and his wife Kim, and Tom Bean and his wife Wendy, as well as their children and grandchildren. Brian was especially close to his grandson Will, who he often described as the “other love of his life”. Another gifted athlete, Brian coached his Little League team and lovingly mentored him during his childhood. Brian’s best friend throughout most of his adulthood was Walter “Jess” Juskiewicz, who passed away suddenly in 2006. From the early 70’s until his death, Brian and Tricia were inseparable with Jess and his wife Dottie, vacationing together, spending countless hours playing bridge during weekends at each other’s homes. Brian had a very special bond with Dottie, too, and loved her very much. Visiting hours will be held Friday Nov. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Brackett’s Funeral Home, 29 Federal Street in Brunswick. A funeral Mass will be celebrated, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, with a reception following. To leave a note or share a memory, please visit http://www.brackettfh.com In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Brian’s name to the Gosnell Hospice House in Scarborough. Gifts can be directed to: Hospice of Southern Maine 180 US Route Scarborough, ME 04074 or by contacting the development office at 207-289-3640

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