Obituary: Sharon Hynds (Smith) Lendvai

 Sharon Hynds (Smith) Lendvai BATH – Sharon Hynds (Smith) Lendvai, died June 22, 2026. Born in New York City, N.Y. on Nov. 3, 1942, Sharon was the third child of Eunice Gertrude (Hynds) Smith and Alan Smith. Sharon’s childhood was spent in Warwick, R.I. Attending area schools (with the exception of the one year the family spent in Florida, when Sharon was happy not attending school), Sharon graduated from Warwick High School in 1960. Always an advocate for people who needed support to lead independent lives, Sharon’s early working life included jobs in local programs for youth in Rhode Island, Maryland and Washington, D.C. In 1967, Sharon was hired to lead an activity center in Arlington Va., a day program for adults with intellectual disabilities. The Arlington Presbyterian Church provided space for this initiative. In 1977, Sharon was part of a team to open the first group home for the same client group of adults in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Known as Community Residences, Inc., the home was the first to provide an opportunity for community living outside of family or institutional care. Sharon continued to run two daytime activity centers, while also managing the group home. She received full support across party lines from the Arlington County Board for this endeavor and led the program for several years. A lifelong supporter of women’s rights and human rights, Sharon was part of a successful class action suit against the Commonwealth of VA in 1972 for discrimination against women as it pertained to voting applications. At the time, women were asked different questions than men, and this was deemed unacceptable and unnecessary. Sharon remained interested and active in politics, both local and national, until her death. She was a supporter of organizations such as ACLU of Maine, Planned Parenthood, The Brooklin Garden Club, and Native Gardens of Blue Hill. Sharon loved discussing politics and held strong opinions about how we could all work to make the world a better place. Sharon met her husband, Joe Lendvai, in 1967 through mutual family friends. They married in May of 1970 and spent the next 56 years together. For 30 years they lived in Virginia, where they created inviting homes, often entertaining neighbors and friends. Sharon was a true social butterfly, creating connections through laughter and conversation wherever she lived. Sharon became business manager of Lendvai Audio Visuals in 1982, which grew into a successful small company serving large technology and public service organizations. Sharon and Joe began to spend time in Maine in the 1970s, and in 1990 built an ocean-side home in Brooklin (Appletree Point) which they moved to permanently in 2004. The years spent at Appletree Point were shared with many, including yearly visits from family and friends, dinners and cocktails shared with neighbors, and regular ocean sightings of special seals, along with many varieties of ducks and pond birds. Sharon and Joe traded the ocean view for a river view in 2019, relocating to Bath to a condo along the Kennebec where Sharon frequented the local Farmers’ Market and shared many trips to Popham Beach and Reid State Park with Joe. Sharon’s hobbies included horse riding, gardening, knitting, and making art. She kept horses in her younger years, including a buckskin named Durango. Sharon and Joe made homes for several special cats over the years; Augie and Gus, their orange Maine Coon Cats, and re-homed Oreo and Cheerio when they lost their people. A Master Gardener, Sharon kept beautiful flower beds, and bountiful vegetable gardens. She was the expert weekly flower arranger for the St. Francis By the Sea Episcopal Church of Blue Hill for 15 years. Sharon had an exquisite sense of color and style. Together with a group of friends, Sharon and Joe created yearly calendars made up of pages of incredible art made from potato prints, which they shared. Sharon was predeceased by her parents; and her older brother, Peter Taylor Smith. Survivors include her husband, Joe Lendvai; her brother, Michael Smith (Pat); and many dear friends and neighbors. A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date. Arrangements and guidance are under the direction of Stetson’s Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 12 Federal St., Brunswick. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Stetson’s Funeral Home website [http://www.StetsonsFuneralHome.com](http://www.StetsonsFuneralHome.com) In the meantime, please feel free to make a contribution in Sharon’s honor to any organization working to better the common good- but above all, be kind to animals and the people around you, your neighbors, your friends, and the public at large. Copy the Story Link