Peter T. Smith

April 3, 1942 - February 6, 2026

Born in Connecticut, Peter Thomas Smith, 83, lived in Ohio, Japan, France, California, New Jersey, and Vermont before returning to Connecticut.

He was born at New Britain General Hospital and grew up in Plainville. His mother, Alice, managed the house and raised Peter and his four sisters, Rachel, Eileen, Christine, and Barbara. His father, Vinton, was a helicopter pilot for Pratt and Whitney who ferried executives from various locations to and from the East Hartford facilities and plucked stranded homeowners off their roofs during the flood of '55.

Plainville was home to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In addition to home life and gatherings with extended family, Peter's childhood revolved around school, Little League, Boy Scouts and playing with neighborhood friends. Every chance they got, he and his pals played pick-up games of baseball, basketball, football and hockey. They also created adventures in the nearby woods along the Farmington Canal and at Usher's Pond. During winter they lived for snow days when upwards of 75 kids would sled downhill from the Robert's Street Extension until dark.

As he grew up, Peter identified that financial self-sufficiency was his ticket to freedom. He found work early and often. His jobs included a large paper route and being an altar boy (tips came at weddings and funerals). Peter attended Plainville High school where he excelled academically, wrote for the school paper and played for the basketball team. During his junior year he was asked to be the student correspondent for the Plainville News with a focus on sports. He remained a dedicated member of his scout troop, cherishing his summers at Camp Kemosabe and ultimately achieved the Eagle Scout Award.

He attended Medill-Northwestern's School of Journalism Summer Institute before his senior year of high school and was recognized as an outstanding student. Soon after, he was accepted into Northwestern's class of 1964. In addition to his course work, Peter held a work-study job with campus dining. He was a proud member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was named to the Deru honors fraternity. During his sophomore year he met and fell in love with Jean Reinhart, and during his senior year he accepted her marriage proposal. They married in June of 1964, three days after graduation.

His marketing career took them to Cincinnati, Ohio where their daughter, Lindsay, and son, Davis, were born. Peter had always aspired to travel and happily accepted a posting to Tokyo, Japan in the summer of 1969. After 3 years there, the family moved on to Paris, France for 3 years, then to Marin County, California. In Tokyo, he avidly followed sumo wrestling and loved weekend getaways with Jean to nearby ryokans. In France, they studied wine by visiting local vineyards and took family trips across Europe. In California in the 1970s Peter grew his hair (and sideburns) and bought himself a motorcycle. He also developed a feminist consciousness, taking over many household tasks so that Jean could follow her calling to seminary and eventual ordination as an Episcopal priest.

Peter's international marketing experience and business connections led him to a number of positions, including at Johnson and Johnson, Intercontinental and Scanticon Hotels. He also had a short stint co-managing his own firm and ended his career with perhaps his most satisfying role, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.

Throughout his working years, Peter was proud to participate in various community activities, including with St. John's Church in Ross, California, and Trinity Church in Princeton, New Jersey. He was a member, and later President, of the board of the Princeton Blairstown Center, a camp for economically disadvantaged kids. After retiring to Brattleboro Vermont in 2007, Peter continued as a marketing consultant for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. He also took on a leadership role at the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity. During their years in Brattleboro, he spent time writing his memoir, playing tennis, following UConn basketball and keeping the house and yard exceedingly organized.

He is survived by his wife, Jean Reinhart Smith, daughter Lindsay Smith, son Davis Smith, son-in-law, Sean Kirk, daughter-in-law Kendra Lawrence, granddaughters Jacqueline and Eliza Smith Kirk and Emma and Sydney Lawrence Smith. He is also survived by sisters Rachel DeAngelo, Eileen Litwin, Christine Saretsky and Barbara Kaczinski. Peter loved his dogs and is survived by his sweet poodle, Hannah.

A memorial service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT on Saturday, March 7 at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Peter's memory to Blairstown Center and Groundworks Collaborative in Brattleboro.