Smith, Leo Kenneth

Leo Kenneth “Ken” Smith (1930-2023)

Ken Smith peacefully left this world on February 27, 2023 at the Highlands Living Center in Pittsford, New York. He was 92 years young. Everybody who met him liked him, and everybody who knew him loved him. How many people can you really say that about?

Ken was born on October 19, 1930, in Southbridge, Mass., the third of four children. By 1940, his family moved to Buffalo, NY. Ken attended public schools and graduated from Amherst High School in 1948. With the encouragement of his father, Ken enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17. He performed well on his recruitment center testing and opted to study electronics at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station because that program was the longest. He served on a “landing ship, tank” (LST) and in 1951 participated in Operation Blue Jay, the secret construction of Thule Air Base in Greenland. After three years in the service, Ken returned home and attended the University of Buffalo. He met his future wife Maureen Comerford through mutual friends and they were married in July 1954. Daughter Sandy was born while Ken pursued a degree in Electrical Engineering at Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana. Daughter Terry was born one year later in Buffalo, followed a few years later by son Scott. In 1965 the family settled in Fairport, where son Gregory was born.

Ken sold electronic components for large and small firms, including General Dynamics, WIlson Zimmerman Inc., TRW, and Optex. After 1993, he spent the last third of his long life as a very active retiree. Ken cherished his time in his workshop, and readily shared his skills as a handyman, auto mechanic, plumber, and electrician. Being productive wasn’t a job for Ken, as he relished making things, fixing broken things, and volunteering his make-it and fix-it skills for others, from his family, to his neighbors, to his church. Ken and his family joined St. John of Rochester Catholic Church in 1965, and he spent the rest of his life volunteering for the parish in many capacities, as a scout leader, an active participant in school and church fundraising events, and the designer and builder of large and small woodworking and construction projects. Ken’s legacy is most visible in the many handcrafted wooden objects and structures in and around the SJR church and the former parochial school building. Characteristically optimistic, he recently assured Pastor Fr. Peter Clifford that “I’m here if you need me for anything” from his bed at Highland Hospital. Ken attended 53 spiritual retreats at Notre Dame Retreat House, only missing two years due to business travel in Europe and his recent illness.

Ken was friendly and sociable, charming and funny, and sometimes a prankster. His training as an engineer aligned with his love of puzzles and problem solving, while his natural artistic talent led him to paint (mostly landscapes) in both oil and acrylics. He loved music and parades, and as the most devoted fan of the Fairport Fire Department Band and the Perinton Concert Band, he frequently traveled through western New York – and twice to Walt Disney World – to watch his son Scott (and sometimes granddaughters Katlyn and Jamison) play his favorite pop standards and marches. Like his father and siblings, he played golf regularly, often with friends from a Xerox golf league. Despite his New England origins he cheered for the Bills. He was renowned for his love of ice cream (always room for dessert), and instilling in his family a love of Moxie soda. We raise a bittersweet Moxie to him. 

Ken is preceded in death by his wife Maureen Smith, parents Stanley Palmer Smith and Anna Therrien Smith, and siblings Terry Boose, Donald Smith, and Barbara Jennings. He is survived by numerous nephews and nieces. His children are Sandra Smith, of Hampton, VA; Terry (Bob) Privitere of Coconut Creek, FL; Scott (Jackie) Smith, of Fairport, NY, Gregory (Beth Dodd) Smith, of Austin, TX, and grandchildren Robert Privitere, Michael Privitere, Katlyn Smith, Jamison Smith, Heather Smith, and Julian Smith.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please donate to Rochester Honor Flight (https://honorflightrochester.org/) or the Notre Dame Retreat House (https://notredameretreat.org/). Both had a very special place in Ken’s life. Please reference Ken’s name and include your own name, mailing address, email and phone number if possible.

Calling Hours @ Keenan Funeral Home, 7501 Pittsford Palmyra Rd., Fairport, NY, Thursday, March 9, 4-6 pm. 

Funeral Mass @ St John of Rochester, 8 Wickford Way, Fairport, NY, Friday, March 10 at 11 am. The live stream link can be found at https://www.stjohnfairport.org/funeral-planning