Hundreds gathered for the memorial service of Wiscasset Police Department reserve Officer Donald “Donnie” Smith Jr. Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the Wiscasset Community Center.
Smith died unexpectedly, reportedly of natural causes, on Jan. 7 at his home in Wiscasset. He was 48. For approximately 30 of his 48 years, Smith served at various times as a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, a corrections officer, a deputy sheriff, and a reserve police officer.
Representatives of more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and emergency services from as far away as Wells were in attendance to honor a man who dedicated his life to serving and protecting his community.
Smith was a volunteer firefighter with the Wiscasset Fire Department in the 1990s and was a past assistant director and emergency medical technician with the Wiscasset Ambulance Service.
Smith served as a corrections officer at the Lincoln County Jail for 17 years, rising to the rank of corporal and shift commander. He helped with the transition from Lincoln County Jail to Two Bridges Regional Jail and helped supervise the sheriff’s office’s jail diversion program for five years.
Smith had served as a reserve police officer with the Wiscasset Police Department since 2007. According to Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline, Smith was an invaluable resource to him when he assumed the role of chief in 2011. His passing “left a void,” Cline said.
Law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and EMTs attended Smith’s memorial service in full force, a testament to the contributions Smith made to the community. Services began with a processional of law enforcement officers and firefighters marching into Wiscasset Community Center’s gym to a bagpiper playing Taps.
The Rev. Tom Wagers, chaplain for Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, officiated the service. Law enforcement agencies represented at the service included the police departments of Bath, Portland, Wells, Richmond, Boothbay, Damariscotta, and Wiscasset. The Maine State Police, Maine Warden Service, Maine Marine Patrol, Two Bridges Regional Jail, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Westport Island Fire Department, Wiscasset Fire Department, and Wiscasset Ambulance Service were also present.
District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau and Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wright attended, in addition to numerous municipal and county employees and elected officials.
Services began with a photo montage of Smith from his days as a child to him pictured with his own children. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” played during the slideshow.
Cline and Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett both spoke about the force of Smith’s personality – his bluntness, his honesty, and what Cline called his “ever-present smirk.”
“I valued his opinions and knowledge,” Cline said. “I asked Donnie the hard questions and I got the hard answers.”
Brackett remembered the hours he and Smith used to spend debating the nuances of law enforcement and union negotiations. Before serving as sheriff, Brackett served as president of the union representing the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Smith was vice president. Together, they helped write a large portion of the union contract.
When Brackett was deciding to run for sheriff, Smith was one of the first people he came to for advice. “After that, I spent a whole year trying to convince him to vote for me,” Brackett said. “I’m not sure I ever won that battle.”
Brackett asked a question that, he said, many were probably grappling with – why?
“I don’t know the answer to that question,” Brackett said. “But when I think about Donnie and his career, I think about his passion. He never did anything halfway. That’s what I’m going to take away and remember.”
Cline presented Smith’s wife with a burial flag. The call that was sent from the communications center announcing Smith’s death the night of Jan. 7 was replayed.
The law enforcement officers and firefighters in attendance stood and saluted the table displaying pictures of Smith with his family, wreaths, and flowers, and, off to the side, his Wiscasset Police Department uniform, before exiting the gym in a processional.
“You’re now answering a higher calling,” Cline said in his speech, as though he was speaking directly to Donnie Smith. “Rest easy, brother. We’ll take it from here.”