PARSONSFIELD – Ruth Laitinen Smith, age 87 passed away peacefully, surrounded by members of her family, on December 26, 2017 at the Bridgton Health Care Center.
Ruth was born in Peabody, Massachusetts on November 29, 1930, daughter of the late John and Ruth (Gove) Laitinen. After graduating from Peabody High School she married Richard Smith and moved to the family farm in Parsonsfield, Maine.
Ruth’s principal and most important work, she would say, was being a Homemaker, Mother, and Grandmother. She also worked for 25 years as a Bus Driver for SAD 55. Ruth also loved working in her flower and vegetable gardens and truly enjoyed meeting and visiting with the neighbors and friends when they came to purchase produce from the “back shed door”.
She is predeceased by her husband- Richard Smith, son- Stephen Smith, and brother- Johnny Laitinen.
Ruth is survived by her children- David and his wife Roberta Smith of Rockport ME, Linda and her husband Peter Childs of Limington ME, Sharon and her husband Stephen Hasty of Parsonsfield ME ; brother- Robert Laitinen of Wind Lake WI; sisters- Sandra and husband Fred Murch of East Corinth ME, Judy Muccio and husband Ronald of Parsonsfield ME; grandchildren- Darren Smith of W. Newfield ME, Andrew Smith of Silver Lake NH, Jason Smith of Limington ME, Rhonda Johnson of Brownfield ME, Jennifer Robinson of Pembroke ME, Sarah Jerome of W. Lebanon NH, Richard Blanchet of Effingham NH, Daniel Blanchet of Commerce MI, Adelle Reno of Commerce MI, Ericka Hartford of Cornish ME, Alexandra Miller-Hope of Portland ME; and 28 great grandchildren.
When Ruth married Richard, she came from a city upbringing to a country life, and she embraced it wholeheartedly. She was a hardworking, kind and loving mother who, while raising her own four children helped care for her three younger siblings and saw them through some difficult times. She adored and took great pride in all of her grandchildren. Ruth had a special gift when it came to young children.
Another source of pride for Ruth was her Finnish heritage, her Finnish coffee bread “Nissu” was a favorite Christmas tradition and was looked forward to by all. There was always room at her table for at least one more; from a group of cold and wet neighbor kids sledding on the hill, a gang of hunters in from the woods, some city cousins up for a visit, everyone was welcome to come in warm up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate or a bottomless bowl of corn chowder.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday May 5 at 11:00am at the Maplewood Cemetery in Parsonsfield, to be followed by a sharing time at Parsonsfield Seminary, North Road, Parsonsfield. Online condolence messages can be submitted at
Online condolence messages can be submitted at the Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home website, www.mainefuneral.com
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Stephen E. Smith/Craig A. Miller Memorial Scholarship Fund care of Superintendents Office, ATTN. Becky Connors, SAD55, 137 South Hiram Rd. Hiram ME 04041