Melburn P. Smith

Melburn P. Smith, 83
HARPSWELL -- Melburn P. Smith, 83, died on Monday, May 2, 2011, at his home in Harpswell, after a short illness.
He was born in Winchester, Mass., on May 17, 1927, the son of Sayward and Irene Bovaird Smith. He grew up in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, graduating from Liverpool High School and attended Acadia and McGill Universities on a sports scholarship.
Mel moved to Boston, Mass. in the late 1940s where he worked for Gould & Cutler.
Mel met his bride of 62 years, Jean K. Smith, under the mirror ball in the Massachusetts Avenue Ballroom in 1948. They were married in Nova Scotia on Aug. 7, 1949.
Shortly thereafter Mel went to work for Benjamin Moore & Co. in New York City. Mel and his young family moved to Maine in 1955 where he worked as a salesman for Benjamin Moore & Co. Shortly thereafter he became a partner with King & Dexter Co. in Portland and then opened his own Benjamin Moore store as a TCO in 1969 and named it Maine Paint Service.
He retired in 1998 and spent his time between Harpswell, Sugarloaf and travelling the country with Jean and his beloved dog, Cassie.
Mel was an active member of the Portland Chapter of Lions Club, Woodford's Congregational Church and coached Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion Baseball. He also loved to bowl, swim, boat, downhill ski and snowmobile. Mel and Jean loved to entertain their large group of friends and family at both their homes in Harpswell and Sugarloaf.
Mel is survived by his wife, Jean K. Smith; and his children, a son Kinsman L. Smith and wife Suzanne of Portland, daughter Laura Smith Martineau of Westbrook, daughter Jeannette Ramey and husband Glenn of Portland, and daughter, Regina Wittman and her husband Donald of Ridgefield, Conn. He is also survived by grandchildren, Kristina L. Priest of Portland, Elizabeth M. Frisbee of Lawton, Okla., Shauna S. Halpin of Falmouth, Matthew B. Ramey of Portland, Sterling K. Smith of Unity, Laura-Kate Martineau of Little Rock, Ark., and Stephen L. Wittman of Ridgefield, Conn.; as well as two great- grandchildren; a niece, Nancy Pia of Beverly, Mass., and many other nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be held from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Friday, May 6, 2011, at Independent Death Care, 660 Brighton Ave., Portland. A funeral will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2011, at Woodfords Congregational Church, 202 Woodford St., in Portland. To offer words of condolence to the family, sign a guest book and share memories, go to the obituary page at www.independentdeathcare.com.
In lieu of flowers, donation
can be made to:
Animal Refuge League
P.O. Box 336
Westbrook, Maine 04098
or to a charity of your choice
Melburn P. Smith