Adele B. Smith, daughter of the late Robert Smith and Florence (Belkin) Smith was born in Torrington, CT on September 9, 1931. She had one older sister, the late Anita Smith Marine (the late Jim Marine) and two younger sisters, Charlotte Shapiro (the late Leonard Shapiro) and the late Beverly Smith, both of Nashua. Adele was fortunate to live amongst her extended Belkin family in the New Britain area and remained very close to her aunts, Roe Belkin and Rae Belkin, Frances Belkin Morse and Ann Belkin Trosten and her uncle, Lou Belkin throughout their lives.
Upon her graduation from the Torrington High School, Adele attended the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. She enjoyed several trips to the European capitals and always came home with gifts for her nieces that reflected various European cultures.
After college, Adele moved to the Boston area and started her career in customer service rising through the ranks of banking management at the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank where she worked until her retirement in 1996, capping many decades with the Boston Five.
In 1986, Adele relocated to Nashua, NH to be closer to her sister Charlotte and has been a Nashua resident since that time.
Since her retirement, Adele has enjoyed a tightknit social group with Charlotte and their friends, Helene, Judy, Ginny and Sarah. About fifteen years ago they formed a “lunch bunch” and have gathered each Friday, exploring various establishments in Nashua and surroundings, although Lilac Blossom was always a favorite.
Adele has continued to cultivate a keen interest in the arts, particularly dance, art and theatre and was looking forward to enjoying the next season of the Boston Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow and Tanglewood as well as travel to her favorite seaside town of Wells, ME.
With a passion for fashion, Adele kept current on the latest trends with her subscription to the print version of Women’s Wear Daily. It was a sad day when WWD switched to a weekly format in 2015 and a tragedy when the publication went digital in 2017. By then, however, Adele had picked up the trend in digital shopping and had become one of QVC’s regular customers.
She took pride and care in gifts tailored to the specific interests of each family member and friend, such as tools for Nick or ballet shoes for Emma, with packages at the ready for the next birthday or other occasion.
Adele was a devotee of British film, theatre and television. Adele made her way through Covid-19 with a front row seat at performances on multiple streaming services with special attention to her Britbox account. With a dry sense of humor, she appreciated many seasons of Keeping Up Appearances, Call the Midwife and Mr. Selfridge as well as the costumed dramas from various historical periods.
And once Adele dipped her toe into 21st century technologies, she enjoyed joining Facetime and Zoom get togethers and games with Josh, Emma, Sawyer and Niko!
Adele cherished her nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and great grandnieces and nephews:
Nieces and Nephews:
Marg Drouin and husband David Drouin of Nashua
Barbara Dedousis and husband, Nick Dedousis, of Nashua
Laurie Shapiro of Sierra Vista, AZ
Carol Marine and her husband, Rick Smith of Lexington, MA and her late niece, Nancy Marine of Boca Raton, FL.
Great Nieces and Nephews:
Becky Dedousis Welch and her husband, Micah Welch of Charlotte, NC
Michael Dedousis and his wife, Cait Dedousis of Nashua, NH
Ben Drouin and his wife, Jen Drouin of Indianapolis, IN
Matt Drouin and his wife, Dr. Anya Potter of Boston, MA
Kate Smith of Berkeley, CA
Lee Smith and his fiancé, Samantha Alper of Charlestown, MA
Great- Grand Nieces and Nephews:
Joshua (9) and Emma (7) Drouin of Indianapolis, IN
Sawyer Dedousis (5) of Nashua, NH
Niko (2) and Hana (3 months) Drouin of Boston, MA
Adele valued the work of the American Civil Liberties Union and the opportunities afforded students in the Boston Ballet School. Should you wish to make a donation in her memory, please consider one of these organizations. Donations can be made online or by check as follows:
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation at:
https://action.aclu.org/give/memorial-gift-aclu-foundation-new-hampshire-2019
Checks can be made payable to the ACLU Foundation of New Hampshire with a note stating the gift is in memory of Ms. Adele Smith and mailed to:
ACLU Foundation of NH, 18 Low Avenue, Concord, NH 03301
Boston Ballet School at:
https://cart.bostonballet.org/donate/contribute1?ct=3&amount=
(use the first drop down menu to select “to support Boston Ballet School” and the fourth drop down menu to select “in memory of Adele Smith.” )
Checks can be made payable to Boston Ballet with a note stating the gift is for Boston Ballet School in memory of Ms. Adele Smith and mailed to:
Boston Ballet, Development Department, 18 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116
Burial is private and internment will be at the Edgewood Cemetery.