Valerie Beatrice (Chutiekis) Smith, 101, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Feb. 3, 2018 surrounded by her family. Valerie was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts on May 25, 1916 to Josef and Beatrice (Yautikis) Chutiekis. She attended school in Massachusetts until her senior year of high school when she left to help her family after her father passed away. While working at a cookie factory in Cambridge, Valerie met her first husband Joseph Zigmond Jackimovicz and fell head over heels in love. They married in June of 1940 and welcomed their son, Joseph James in October of 1942. During WWII, Valerie worked at a factory in Cambridge that supplied munitions to the troops. Valerie’s first husband was drafted into the Army during the war and surrendered his life for his country. After the war ended her family bought a small farm in Randolph, Massachusetts, and moved out of the city. Valerie met her second husband, William Smith in 1950 and they married in July of 1955.

Val worked at Randy’s Shoe factory until the late 1960’s when it closed its doors and she retired. In the early 1970’s, Val and Bill built their retirement home on Cape Cod in West Falmouth, Massachusetts, for weekends and summer vacations. Val and Bill would take yearly six-week vacations to Florida enjoying the warm weather during the cold New England winters. They enjoyed going out for coffee and a light breakfast in the mornings. In the afternoons you could find Val watching her stories while knitting baby hats and blankets for donation to the local hospital. Her green thumb was the envy of all her neighbors on the Cape. Val liked to be on the go, running errands for extended family, going to the gym even into her early 90s, or scooting to the laundromat despite having a perfectly good washer and dryer at home, just to “get out of the house.”

Val’s greatest passions were her family, including her dogs; knitting/crocheting and gardening. Her son Joe was her greatest pride and joy and her grandchildren Alex and Kara were the apples of her eye. She enjoyed spoiling them beyond compare and having them weeks at a time during school vacations was her favorite time of year.

In 2010, Valerie moved up to Boothbay, Maine, to live with her son and his wife, Ruthie. Once in Maine, her son took her out for breakfast every single morning until he fell ill, regardless of the weather. Val had a gentle, easy nature so it’s not surprising that she quickly made strong bonds with the folks she met at the coffee shop. She was active in the knitting club at The Community Center, the Seniors Club and the Visually Impaired Persons organization. On her 100th birthday her son Joe orchestrated a beautiful celebration at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens which was attended by dozens of her closest family and friends.

She is predeceased by her son, Joseph James Jackimovicz, her first husband Joseph Zigmond Jackimovicz; her second husband, William Smith; and her sister Pauline (Chuteikis) Dragunas. She leaves behind her sister Josephine (Chuteikis) Zeles of Brockton, Massachusetts; daughter-in-law Ruth (Day) Jackimovicz of Boothbay; grandson Alex Jackimovicz and partner Shri Verrill and great grandson Adam of Boothbay; granddaughter Kara (Jackimovicz) Roach and spouse Mary. and great grandsons Elliot Joseph and Sawyer Zigmond of Cumberland, Maine; step grandson Justin Lewis and spouse Amy Williams and their son Logan of Boothbay; step grandson Clint Lewis and spouse Tarrah and their children Mya and Carmela of Walkerton, Virginia.

A celebration of life with coffee and muffins will be held from 9-11 a.m. Saturday Feb. 10, 2018 at the Boothbay Fire Station, 1011 Wiscasset Road in Boothbay, ME 04537.