Obituary of Maturin Smith

Maturin Elmer Smith, 90, passed away Saturday November 5, 2011 at the family farm house in the town of Poughkeepsie where he was born on April 2, 1921. Maturin was well-known as “Smitty” or “Sonny”. He was the son of Elmer Percy Smith and Gertrude Emmeline Seaman Smith. He was the 12th generation of Smiths in America. His ancestor William Smith came from England in 1636 and the Smiths have had an agricultural presence in Dutchess County since the 1760's. Maturin was a 1938 graduate of Poughkeepsie High School and never missed a class reunion. He attended the University of Alabama for four years where he studied law. He served in the Civil Defense during World War II as an air raid warden. He was a dairy farmer for many years and later worked as a milkman for Brenner's Dairy and Fitchett Bros. Dairy. He was a member of Teamsters Local 338 and when he retired in the 1980's he was the last of the house to house milkmen in Dutchess County. A former member and Trustee of the First Baptist Church in the city of Poughkeepsie, he was currently a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Pleasant Valley. Maturin married Hilma Dorethea Johnson on December 15, 1943. Hilma predeceased him on August 31, 1990. Their five children survive in Dutchess County: Bruce D. Smith and his wife JoAnn of Pleasant Valley; Nancy G. Smith Thompson of the town of Poughkeepsie; Kathleen D. Smith and her husband Chris Rohrbach of LaGrange; Brian P. Smith, of Pleasant Valley; and Brenda J. Smith of Staatsburg. Also surviving are 8 grandchildren: Karen Pisanelli Baxter, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Robert Pisanelli, Zachariah Maturin Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Kelly Osterman, Christopher Osterman, and Sean Thompson. In addition, Maturin is survived by 6 great-grandchildren: Sammy, Tyler, Chelsea, Ella, Liam, and Peter. Also surviving are his sister Elma MacElveen of Wappingers Falls, his sister-in-law Gladys Cormiea of Barefoot Bay, Florida, several nieces and nephews, others in his extended family and the many friends who were like family to him. Calling Hours will be Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 4pm to 8pm at the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home 371 Hooker Ave. Poughkeepsie New York. Funeral services will be 11am Friday November 11, 2011 at the Funeral Home with burial to follow at Union Cemetery. If you would like to sign the guestbook or send an online condolence please visit www.doylefuneralhome.com