Barry Smith

FAIRFAX, VA. & RAYMOND — Barry “Bear” W. Smith, 71, died on Easter, April 5, 2015, in Fairfax, Va.

Barry was born in Rumford, the son of the late Albert and E. Elizabeth Smith of Dixfield, where he founded the Chicken Coop Clubhouse, played marbles in the street and was always first to arrive at the hockey rink.

He attended and graduated with honors from Dixfield High School in 1961 and completed a post-graduate year at Kimball Union Academy in 1962, where he was an avid football, hockey and baseball player. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1966, where he lettered in hockey and football. While at Bowdoin, he enjoyed life as a Beta Theta Pi brother and a crooner of Peggy Sue and Bony Moronie.

After graduating from Bowdoin, he taught math and coached hockey at Brunswick High School for 11 years. In 1977, he left teaching and started a home construction and land development company until he was disabled by a head injury in 1992.

In the 1990s, Barry became an avid rock hound, dynamiting and blasting for tourmaline in the mountains of western Maine. Although he never made the “big find,” he enjoyed teaching others about his passion. Barry had few loves in life that were more important than rocks and those were peanut butter and Jim Beam. During that time, he lived on Crescent Lake in Raymond and served as social chairman for all who visited.

Later in life, he moved to Sterling, Va. to be closer to his son and grandchildren and became a full-time hockey chauffer, mad scientist of canning, and experimental gardener. He was a great storyteller, well known for tales of night hunting, imbibed snowball fights, and former teammates exploits on and off the field/ice. He will be missed.

Surviving are his children Sarah Crowley of Topsham, Nathan Smith of Potomac Falls, Va., Hannah Cawley of Parkville, Md., Sarah Gochenour of Plantation, Fla., Brooke Stowell of Bangor; and 12 grandchildren.

At Barry’s request, a celebration of his life will be held at the Sea Dog Restaurant, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, #100, Topsham, on Aug. 2, 2015 at 4 p.m. Please bring a story to share and a photo for his timeline.

In celebration of his life, please make a donation in Barry’s memory to Bowdoin College, Sidney J. Watson Athletic Fund (www.bowdoin.edu/makeagift)