OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Mindy Fitzgerald Smith, née Marcia Helen Fitzgerald, passed away peacefully at her home in Old Orchard Beach on March 8, 2024.
Mindy was born on April 28, 1950 in Utica, N.Y. and proudly raised in Needham, Mass. She graduated from Needham High School and the New England School of Art and Design in Boston. She then followed her brother Billy into the harness horse racing industry which filled her life with dear friends, stories, travel, accomplishments, and, most importantly, the love of her life, the late Roger D. Smith Jr., whom she married in 1997.
Mindy was an incredibly gifted artist, single-engine airplane pilot, and horse racing official and operator. She was an even better wife, sister, aunt, daughter, cousin, dog mom, and friend. She was a true New Englander: deeply proud of her Boston sports teams, a collector of all things L.L.Bean, and she spent her most cherished days in the bustle of Boston, Mass., the serenity of Sweden, the woods and lakes of Tuftonboro, N.H., or the beaches of Old Orchard and Scarborough. Mindy loved her New York City, N.Y. years, but it was always good to be back in Red Sox Nation.
Mindy rejoins in Heaven her dear husband, Roger; her best friend and brother, William; her mother, Dorothy, her father, William Sr.; and too many friends and family who left this Earth before her. She’s reunited with all of her black labs Tufty, Amos, Murray, and sweet Wigan.
Mindy is survived by her nephew, Michael and his wife, Kaitlyn, her niece, Mariel and her husband, Kevin, her nephew, Daniel and his wife, Isabel; her sister-in-law, Linda; five grandnieces and one grandnephew; and so many dear cousins and devoted friends. Sharing a life with Roger also meant a special bond with his children Debra Ricker, David Smith, and Aaron Smith. Her black lab, Paco, will stay in the family.
Mindy will always be remembered for her wicked funny sense of humor, her love for Roger, her relentless dedication to the care and wellbeing of her family and friends, and the warmth and color she brought into every room.
Mindy will be buried alongside Roger in a private ceremony in Sweden. A Celebration of life will be planned at a later date in the Old Orchard Beach area.
Dennett, Craig and Pate Funeral Home, 365 Main St., Saco are entrusted with her arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Inc.
(Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), or
Mary’s Place by the Sea
(Ocean Grove, N.J.)
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