BOWDOINHAM - Elvis Eugene “Gene” Smith, Sr., was called to his heavenly home on Friday, October 23, 2026, at the Togus Springs Hospice Facility at the age of 92.

Born on September 26, 1934, in Tribbey, Oklahoma, Gene served in the US Navy for 30 years in aviation hydraulics and maintenance control, earning several honors and commendations.  Following his military career, he spent another twenty years with the US Postal Service until his well-earned retirement.

Gene was best known for his music, faith, humor, and mechanical skills. He played guitar and sang from an early age, performed with his daughters and in many choirs and music groups, and supplied lyrics “like an encyclopedia” at jam sessions. He often changed the words to songs and cliches, made up games, or told jokes and stories with specific accents to make people laugh. He served as Pentecostal Lay Leader on aircraft carriers and shared his faith freely, leading several contemporaries to faith in Christ.  If your car was broken, he drove it, diagnosed the problem, and fixed it. He was a kid-magnet, and loved spending time with little ones.

Gene was predeceased by his parents Dudley and Nora Bell Smith, along with older siblings William, Anna, Irene, Lottie, Dallas, Maxine, Mary Esterline, Sam, and Millie.

Gene is survived by his wife of 70 years, Edith E. Whitney Smith; his children, Ruth Elaine Harris (David), Nora Belle Krainis (John), Tyne Jeannine Turcotte (Ron), and Elvis Eugene Smith, Jr. (Carla); Grandchildren: Joshua Harris (Megan), Mandy Harris Spigle (Erik), Victoria Watson Kurtz (Mike), William Whittaker (Sabrina), Whitney Whittaker Geleney (Patrick), Allison Whittaker, Jeannine Watson, Nicole Smith Loglia (Jarrett), Olivia Smith, honorary grandchild Raina Gefvert (Mats); Great-grandchildren: Caleb and Lucy Harris and Lily Loglia, honorary great-grandchildren Jackson, Camille, and Amelia Gefvert, plus many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, November 13th, 2026, at Kennebec Valley Assembly of God, 44 Hallowell Road, Chelsea, followed by a time of fellowship. A military committal service will take place on the same day, at 2:00 pm, at the Maine Veterans Cemetery, 163 Mt. Vernon Road, Section H, in Augusta, Maine.

Home is the sailor, home from the sea; and the hunter, home from the hill” – final couplet of “Requiem” by Robert Louis Stevenson

Donations in his name can be made to VA Maine Health Care System, Togus Springs Hospice Care, Augusta, ME.

Arrangements and guidance are in the care of Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner, Maine.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website, www.staplesfuneralhome.com