Obituary of Roger C. Smith

Wilton, NY. Roger Smith died on December 20, 2021 at the Slate Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center where he resided briefly before his passing. He was born the third of seven children on January 3, 1934 in Hartford NY to William H. Smith and Gertrude May (Whittemore) Smith. He moved with his family to Granville, NY in 1939 where he grew up on the family's dairy farm. Two years after graduating from Granville High School in 1952 he felt called to engage in a life of service as an itinerant Christian minister after the manner of the disciples recorded in the New Testament. After serving eight years in the New York and New England states he left in 1962 to serve in the Philippine islands for the next forty eight years. During that time he became fluent in at least 3 Filipino dialects so he could minister in the many remote areas of the Philippine Islands. He often walked or hiked many miles over sometimes steep mountain terrain and forded numerous streams in the process of reaching spiritually needy people who asked for his help. His work also included participation in special fellowship events in neighboring South East Asian, European and African countries. He returned to the US in 2010 to serve again in the New York and New England states until 2015 when he suffered a massive stroke. This left him with limited ability to talk. He graciously replaced his speech with a smile throughout the remainder of his life. Roger will forever be remembered for his love for the Filipino people and for his zeal in working amongst them. On home visits back to the US he loved to share with us his experiences in the Philippines and we loved to hear about them. He was especially diligent in searching out and caring for Filipinos and others who were isolated with few opportunities for fellowship with others of the same faith. Roger is survived by his brothers, William (Wilton, NY), Peter and Charlotte (Wilton, NY) and his sister, Bertha J. Gifford (San Diego, CA) as well as by several close nieces and nephews and their families. Roger is preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Gertrude M Tompkins and her husband Chester Tompkins (Presque Isle, ME), two brothers, Herbert M. Smith and his wife Arlene (Quick) Smith (Fargo, ND) and Merrill John (Adamstown, PA). Visitation and funeral services are planned on Monday December 27 at The Saratoga Hilton Hotel, 534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs NY 12866, all under the direction of the Robert M King Funeral Home of Granville, NY. Visitation will be from 9:00 to 11:00 AM followed directly at 11:00 AM by the funeral service. The family regrets there will be no luncheon after the service due to COVID concerns. Burial will be at the North Hebron Cemetery, in North Hebron, NY and it will be private and at the convenience of the family. The family wishes to publicly express deep appreciation to the staff at the Pulmeria Adult home in Fort Edward, NY where he resided for nearly six years while he battled the ravaging effects of his stroke. We would also like to thank care givers at the Slate Valley Nursing home that cared for him during the last eleven days of his life. We also want to thank his many caring friends who visited, wrote and supported him during the years he spent at Pulmeria. Those wishing to remember Roger might consider a memorial donation to the Haynes House of Hope, 7187 SR 149, Granville, NY 12832 The funeral service will be available via zoon. If you are interested in viewing in this manner please check the funeral home website for the link information. Online condolences can also me made on the website at www.robertmkingfuneralhome.com. The zoom link information is: Topic: Roger.Smith.Funeral.Service Time: Dec 27, 2021 10:40 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86802213983?pwd=S200SHdsNFFpSStoWGRqcXRoMmpUZz09 You may join starting at 10:40 or later. This is a live feed. (Do not delete this line. It does not print. Text that is to appear on web must be entered before this line)