Photo by Lester Smith
John Smith is pictured with his grand-daughter Charlotte Smith, 3, at the picnic honoring him for his service to Suffield. Senator Chris Murphy is at the right.
Folks from diverse segments of Suffield life crowded the pavilion at Sunrise Park on July 28 at a picnic honoring John G. Smith IV for his service to the community.
John and Debbie have been occupying “Seven Smoaks,” their impressive mid-18th-Century home near the end of Halladay Avenue with its old barns and gardens, for so long that he often appears to fit that century more the 21st, but his occupation, White Light Video Systems, belies that thought. John is a skilled purveyor of business services and website design.
John’s father, the Rev. J. Gorman Smith, served as pastor of Suffield’s First Congregational Church for 25 years. He must have set a good example of community service, for both John’s brother Stephen and his son Michael have served on important Town commissions. John himself has served as a Suffield selectman, a member of the Conservation Commission, the Zoning & Planning Commission, and the Police Commission. He was a founding member of the Suffield Chamber of Commerce, and for 20 years he was a Suffield volunteer fireman. Retiring from that role as a lieutenant in 1996, he was made a life member of the department and named Fire Fighter of the Year. Retired Deputy Chief Tom Romano presented John with a Suffield Fire Department jacket at the picnic.
Also at the picnic, Jan Banks, board chairman of the Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, emphasized John’s key role in FOFAH’s first decade. But it was former selectman Eileen Moncrief who surprised many of us with the information that John was an ordained minister and had served at the First Congregational Church of Bloomfield. She added that he was also a licensed public health professional and a very gifted water color artist.
Both State Representative Tami Zawistowski and First Selectman Melissa Mack presented nicely worded certificates honoring John, and Etienne D’Otreppe, speaking as a friend, assured John that he would be missed.
Seven Smoaks is now on the market, and John and Debbie have been sharing their time with New Hampshire, where their second home on Lake Winnipesaukee is becoming their first.