Ailsa Smith

A. Ailsa Banfield Smith, age 95, of Leesburg, FL died September 15, 2018. Ailsa was born July 30, 1923, in St. George’s, Grenada, a beautiful small island in the West Indies. She met and married Walter L. Smith, of Potsdam, NY, in Trinidad, West Indies where he was serving in WWII and she was employed as a secretary for the U.S. military. After his discharge they relocated to Potsdam, NY, then moved to Connecticut, and in 1984 they retired to Florida. Walt preceded her in death on July 16, 1991. She remained proud of her British West Indian heritage after attaining U.S. citizenship. Ailsa loved to sew and made the most beautiful Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls of all sizes, fully clothed in dresses and pinafores or shirt and overalls, and with hand embroidered faces and hearts on their chests. She enjoyed hand quilting and made both traditional bed quilts and purses. Gardening and reading were favorite hobbies. Ailsa also loved to cook and entertain her family, especially on holidays. She pursued all her interests avidly until her vision was lost to macular degeneration. Ailsa delighted in the phone calls and cards received frequently from her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She appreciated the visits during her final months from her extended family, many who travelled great distances. Ailsa’s longtime friend and neighbor Maggie visited often and brought homemade cookies to satisfy her sweet tooth. Ailsa was the ninth child of 17 and was predeceased by her parents Clarence and Adell Banfield, and all 16 of her siblings. She is survived by 3 children, Lynda (Eddie) of Vernon, VT, Walter (Lorraine) of Port Orange, FL and Nancy of Leesburg, FL. She is also survived by 5 grandchildren, Laura (Keith) and Wendy (Gary) of VT, David (Suzette) of NC, Jason (Laurie) of FL, and Melissa (Brandon) of TN. She was the great grandmother of Jacqueline, Logan, Mariah of VT, Andrew and Nathan of VT, Haley of NC, Dayne of FL, Nathan, Rebecca, and Sarah of FL, and Isabelle and Tyler of TN. She was the great-great-grandmother of Maddox of FL. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews here in the USA and in Canada, the West Indies, England, New Zealand, and Australia. Ailsa’s family would like to extend their appreciation and thanks to Cornerstone Hospice who provided care, love, and support during the final months of her life and to St. Paul Catholic Community Church for their weekly visits. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Paul Catholic Community Church in Leesburg, FL on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 8:30 AM with inurnment following at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, Ailsa requested donations be made in her honor to the Cornerstone Hospice Foundation, 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778 or to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, 10 Glenlake Pkwy NE South Tower Ste 400, Atlanta, GA 30328. Arrangements by Harden/Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis, FL www.hardenpauli.com