Luke Richard Smith, 20, of Bethany died on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at Yale New Haven Hospital as a result of a motor vehicle accident.Luke is survived by his loving parents, William and Cynthia Smith of Bethany, CT and his sister Alexandra Smith of Wallingford, CT, his maternal grandparents, Richard and Mary Freeman of Trumbull, CT, his adoring cousins, Bridget, Nora and Patrick Murray of Worcester, MA, Edward Smith of Ansonia, CT, Austin Weiss and Autumn Merrill of Milford, CT, and Abigail Kamaitis of Oxford, CT, as well as many loving aunts, uncles and friends. He was predeceased by his paternal grandmother Gloria Merrill, his paternal grandfather William Smith, Sr. and his paternal uncle Richard Lucas.
Luke was born in New Haven, CT and grew up in Bethany, CT where he attended Bethany Nursery Group, Bethany Community School, Amity Middle School Bethany, and graduated from Amity High School in 2018. During his time at Amity High School, Luke was a stellar athlete, where he was the member of both the Amity High school football and lacrosse teams.
He received various honors and awards for his athleticism and team sportsmanship during these years. He then went on to play Division II lacrosse at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH. In true Luke fashion, his kinship with his teammates extended well beyond the field and his teammates became his brothers.
Apart from his athletic achievements, Luke will be best remembered as an “old soul”. He was a sweet, humble, gracious, respectful and loving young man. He had a large and extended circle of friends and developed bonds with all of them that were unique, long lasting and meaningful.
Luke’s giving and infectious personality transcended generations. He had the unique ability to make everyone he met feel at ease and like the most special person in the room. He had as much fun playing a silly game of wiffleball in the back yard with his cousins as he did playing a college lacrosse game in front of a stadium full of fans.
Luke also enjoyed a special relationship with his grandparents, who will always remember his warm and loving hugs. Most of all, Luke was a loving son and brother to his parents and sister.
He was the apple of his parents’ eye, who brought such joy into their lives with his infectious smile and rosy cheeks. Luke idolized his sister Lexie, in addition to being siblings, they were each other’s best friend. Luke was a “giver” in every sense of the word. In that spirit, he was an organ donor and his contributions will be life saving to others. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate.
A live stream wake service with video tribute will be held on Thursday, May 21, from 3:45 p.m. 5:00 p.m. followed by a prayer service at 5:00 p.m. Please go to www.adzimafh.com to see the live stream link.
Friends and family are invited to pay their respects in celebration of Luke’s on Friday, May 22 from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. by driving through the Eastside Cemetery, 157 Pease Road Woodbridge, CT. Due to the current COVID-19 restraints, this is a drive through only procession and the service and burial will be private.
The Edward F. Adzima Funeral Home, 253 Elizabeth St., Derby has been entrusted with the arrangements.
