| JANUARY 29, 2010 -- Local centenarian locally grown; Smith has agricultural heritage
"I haven't met all my friends yet," said Joe Smith at age 100. But becoming a centenarian was not at the top of his list of things to do. He is just too busy with other, more important things.
Smith, who has a Czech/Polish heritage, grew up in Enfield in a farming family. His parents, Katherine and John, worked hard to raise Joe and his nine brothers and sisters, passing along to them the same values they held dear.
Smith, from the age of 18, was very active in the Four Town Fair. In his 80-plus years of service to the fair, he had several different duties, but the mowing stands out. "I did any job I could do," he said. "But I mowed the fields. Years ago, it took two to three days to mow."
He has also been a member of the Enfield Grange #151 since 1926.
Smith married Margaret in 1939, and the couple had three children - Judy, Joe, Jr. and Thomas, who is now deceased. Raising the children in his home on Bailey Road, Joe was always working hard on his property, farming and gardening.
At Joe's very large birthday party held at St. Bernard's church, friends and neighbors recalled stories about how much time Joe spent outside. "He has always been active," said neighbor Kathleen Terhune. "One day he came over to my yard and told me that I should have a garden. He roto-tilled most of my yard," said Terhune, with a laugh. She feels that she is a gardender because of Joe. Another neighbor, John Crosson, said that one day he looked outside and saw Joe up on his roof cleaning the gutters. "He was 95," said Crosson, with a smile.
After retiring in 1975 from his machinist position at Hamilton, Joe turned his focus even more to his love for the land, beginning a second career as a farmer of turnips. He was well known for his abundant harvest and his four acres of land that turned out the best turnips in the area. They were brought to local stores like Harken's Market. In fact, until recently, you could find Smith harvesting his turnips, or peonies or blueberries. Riding on a 1951 era tractor , Joe worked his verdant garden and bore an incredible harvest of fruits and vegetables. This past summer, his son and grandson took over the tractor job.
At Joe's 100th birthday party, about 200 friends, family and neighbors assembled to pay him honor. He was a little surprised to find that the local news was interested in his story, although he's had more than a few articles written about him through the years.
Nicknamed "Joker," he was well known for playing lighthearted jokes on people and for "dressing to the hilt," said another friend. Joe has five grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
His son Joe, Jr., said, "He'll go beyond 100." And Joe said, with a smile, "I want to live to be 102. I will beat my mother by one year."
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