Stuart H. Smith Jr.

Stuart Harold Smith, Jr., of East Granby, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 26, 2025, at the age of 94. His was an exceptional life. Stuart's birth certificate would tell you he was born on November 10, 1930, in Hartford, CT to Stuart H. Smith, Sr. and Lillian Smith (née Smith). He was actually born on the 9th. He often claimed he had two birthdays, and every year his family would celebrate them both, because he deserved it. He spent his childhood in Hartford with his sister, Jean, and his best friends, The Original North Enders, who would remain friends through the rest of their lives. Stuart graduated from Weaver High School in 1948. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1951. As an infantryman, he received the Korean Service Medal with three stars and the U.N. Service Medal for Korea. Stuart returned to Hartford in 1953, where he worked as a lineman for the Hartford Electric Light Company. He would often have his lunch in the same park as a secretary who worked in a nearby office building. They would listen to her radio together as they ate and one day she left the radio in the park with her name and phone number: Mary Ellen Manship. He called to return it. On August 27, 1955, they were married. Outside of his outstanding military service, hard work, and devotion to his family, Stuart Smith loved to drive: his motorcycle, his Cadillac, his Hummer, and his giant van that he used to cart his family up and down the coast for every vacation. He was a handyman, always fixing whatever he saw needed fixing and he kept dozens of notebooks filled with dimensions, materials, and schemes for the next project that would make his wife's life easier, or his daughter's, or his neighbor's. Stuart kept a picture of his cat in his wallet and had a joke for every occasion. His eclectic music taste included Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw, and Earth, Wind & Fire. His favorite film was the home movie he recorded of his orange cat, Alfie Eating Corn, which he loved to show the grandchild writing this obituary every chance he got. Most of all, Stuart loved his family. He was a son, a brother, a father, an uncle, a Poppop, and a role model for everyone who knew him. Stuart is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-nine and a half years, Mary Ellen (Manship) Smith; his children, Laura Lee Smith and Stuart H. Smith, III; and his grandchildren, Meagan Smith (husband Ryan Bass), Leon Barillaro (partner Willy Abeel), and Jillian Smith (fiancé Jack Brown); as well as other family and friends. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Jean Smith Chormann. His family will receive friends on Saturday, February 1, 2-3 p.m., with a Celebration of Life, 3 p.m., at Carmon Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation or the AccentCare Hospice Foundation. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stuart, please visit our floral store.