WAYLAND: David B. Smith, 91, also of Wellfleet, and recently Hudson, MA, died Monday, November 29, 2021 during a brief stay at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, following a period of declining health.
David was born in Waterbury, CT on January 25, 1930. He was the son of Walton B. and Florence S. Smith of Middlebury, CT, a town in which the family lived for many decades. David attended Wooster School in Danbury, CT; Union College in Schenectady, NY; and Hillyer College of the University of Hartford.
At an early age, David was interested in telephones and electrical wiring, and he began his career in electrical engineering with the Woodbury Telephone Company in 1950. He served in the Signal Corps of the Eighth Army from 1951-1953, repairing telephones and walkie-talkies in Seoul during the Korean War. He was employed as a telephone engineer with the Bell System, primarily with New England Telephone, until his retirement in 1990.
Dave met his wife, Caroline, while singing in the choir of the West Hartford Congregational Church. They married in 1958. In 1966, after a few years in West Hartford and White Plains, NY, Dave, Caroline, and their two sons settled in Wayland, MA, the town Dave would call home for 55 years.
His interests included listening to and attending classical music performances. For many years he was a season ticket holder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He found joy singing in the choir of the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Wayland, where he was a deacon and served on several committees. He also spent countless hours and many years actively promoting and supporting his sons’ musical edification, for which they are both sincerely grateful.
Dave’s beloved wife, Caroline, died in 2001. He is survived by his sons David B. Smith, Jr. of Wayland, and Jonathan A. Smith and his wife, Jean, of Atkinson, NH; his grandchildren Daniel, Samuel, Amy, and Becca Smith; his sister, Joanna Stokes of Baton Rouge, LA; a brother-in-law, Cushman Anthony and wife Maureen of Falmouth, ME; a sister-in-law, Barbara Anthony of South Yarmouth, MA; a cousin, Lewis Clark and wife Patricia of Middlebury, CT; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at the Trinitarian Congregational Church, 53 Cochituate Road, in Wayland. Immediately following the service, a reception with refreshments will be held at the church.
The service of interment will take place next summer at Oakdale Cemetery in Wellfleet, MA.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in Dave’s memory may be made to the National Kidney Foundation.