Obituary of Sidney Emerson Smith

Sidney Emerson Smith, 96, a resident of Dutchess County since 1972, died peacefully at home on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Born in Catskill, New York on December 4, 1917; he was the son of the late Rufus Sidney Smith and Mary Elizabeth Felter Smith. He attended Catskill High School and graduated from Cornell University in 1939 with a B.S. Degree in Animal Husbandry. In 1939, he became a milk inspector for Borden's Milk Company in Orange and Dutchess Counties. On June 29, 1941 in Endicott, New York he married Lee Ong Jung who predeceased him. In 1942, he became a milk sanitarian for the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Milk Sanitation. In 1947 he went on to work for the Bird Eye Division of General Foods in Albion, New York and later Tarrytown, New York. On May 16, 1959 in Rochester, New York he married Priscilla Hewey who predeceased him. He spent much of his retirement traveling with his wife by RV, touring the U.S. and Canada. He also enjoyed gardening, camping, reading, piano playing and singing. He was an active member of the Community Baptist Church in Wappingers Falls since 1972. He is survived by his daughter, Karen Coyote of Eugene Oregon; granddaughter, Heidi Rittershausen of Berkeley, California; daughter, Marcia and her husband, Donald Hill of Kingston, Washington; son, Marshall E. Smith and wife, Brenda of Poughkeepsie; daughter, Susan and her husband, James McGill of Hyde Park; grandsons, Sean and Brian McGill of Hyde Park; sister, Lavinia Jane Stanley of Ithaca, New York; as well as a few nieces, nephews and cousins. His sisters, Clara Lane and Eloise Li predeceased him. A memorial service, officiated by Rev. William Dalrymple, will be held at Community Baptist Church, 226 All Angels Hill Road, Wappingers Falls on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at 3 p.m. Cremation has taken place and burial will be at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Community Baptist Church, 226 All Angels Hill Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590, Hudson Valley Hospice, 374 Violet Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, or to a charity of your choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home, 55 East Main Street, Wappingers Falls. To send the family a personal condolence, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.