Alice G. Smith

EAST MONTPELIER – Alice G. Smith, 84, departed her earthly existence gracefully on Monday, February 13, 2023 at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, a few hours after gathering her family to announce her firm decision to cease all extraordinary life-saving measures and leave it to God's will.

Born on March 22, 1938, in Barre, she was the daughter of Eustache J. and Anna (Giguere) Goulet, both French-Canadian immigrants.  Alice grew up in Washington. She was married for more than 61 years to Robert E. “Bob” Smith, who predeceased her three years earlier on February 12th. The couple shared a deep Catholic faith that was central to their lives. They started their family in Washington, where daughter Jacqueline and son Michael were born, and moved to East Montpelier Village in 1967. Alice was a 1956 graduate of Spaulding High School.

As a child, Alice told Washington postmaster John McDonald that she wanted to do his job when she grew up. She became the unofficial “mail carrier” for her neighborhood, learning everyone’s mailbox combination and picking up mail for them on her way home from school. She delivered the mail for 25 cents a week per family.

Alice fulfilled her youthful dream when she was appointed Postmaster of the East Barre Post Office, a position she held from 1984 and until her retirement in 1998. Under her watch, this small country post office became a bustling center when a local bulk mailing house was established in town. Her office won awards for customer service and excellence. She traveled to National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) conventions and received awards for her work on the Green Mountain Postmaster newsletter.

She began her postal career as a part-time clerk in East Montpelier, then went on to carry mail and clerk in Barre City, sometimes substituting on routes where she walked up to nine miles a day. She and Linda Clark of Calais were the first two women mail carriers in Barre City in the mid-1970s. Alice, who weighed barely over 100 pounds, felt she had something to prove to naysaying men who insisted it was a job that only men could (or should) do.

In 1990 Alice was diagnosed with a rare voice disorder that impaired her ability to project her voice. There are two types of Spasmodic Dysphonia, and she had the rarer of the two - the abductor form - in which muscle spasms draw the vocal cords too far apart, resulting in a choppy and “breathy” whispering voice pattern. The disorder made it difficult for people to understand what she was saying, so communicating became exhausting. She was grateful to her postal customers who accepted the limitation and listened more closely to her once she explained what was going on. She worked to raise awareness about Spasmodic Dysphonia and started a support group with other Vermonters who were struggling with it.

In her retirement, Alice devoted many hours to building beautiful flower gardens and observing the hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators that reveled in them. She and Bob took a dream vacation to Alaska and visited all of Vermont’s 251 towns as members of the Vermont 251 Club. When Bob became ill in 2008, she was his caregiver for 10 years before he moved to Woodridge Nursing Home.

After Bob died and her own health began to decline, Alice enjoyed working on crossword and jigsaw puzzles and harvesting fresh vegetables from the elevated garden bed that her family built for her. She was very close to both of her children, and Sunday night suppers with them and their partners were a highlight of her weeks. The five of them traveled to Wells Beach, Maine last September for a glorious week of watching sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, moonsets, and the high tide crashing over the sea wall.

Survivors include her children Jackie Smith-Nielsen (husband Erik Nielsen) of Brookfield, and Michael P. Smith (companion Jessica Goodlin) of Barre; her brother Albert M. Goulet of West Palm Beach, FL; her sister-in-law Barbara Fantoni of East Barre; nieces, nephews and cousins; and her long-time friend Simone Fitzgerald of East Montpelier.

Alice had moved to Mayo Residential Care in Northfield just three weeks before her last hospitalization. She loved the staff, meeting new friends through communal dinners and social activities, and making her room a comfortable place to nest. The family is grateful to Mayo staff and other residents for the wonderful experience that Alice had while she lived there.

The Mass of Christian Burial to honor and celebrate the life of Alice G. Smith will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the 85 ^th anniversary of her birth, at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, 16 Barre Street, Montpelier.  Following the service, a time of fellowship and luncheon will be held downstairs in the church.   There are no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to organizations that were important to Alice St. Augustine’s Catholic Church , 16 Barre Street, in Montpelier, 05602; Mayo Residential Care , 610 Water Street, Northfield, Vermont 05663; or Dysphonia International , 300 Park Boulevard, Suite 175, Itasca, IL 60143.