Nancy E. Smith

On November 13th, Alzheimer’s Disease ended the life journey of Nancy Evelyn Smith. Two weeks earlier she celebrated her 60th Anniversary with her husband, Steve, her sons, residents, and staff gathering in the memory unit of the Arbors at Amherst where she had received such wonderful care for just over 3 years. Wearing a new red dress so thoughtfully provided by a young caregiver, she also wore her usual full smile as she enjoyed some cake and, most of all, the company of others. The following day she transitioned to Hospice of the Fisher Home where she ended her journey in their gentle, thoughtful care.

Nancy was born in Manchester CT on August 8, 1944. Her parents, Herbert E. Johnson and Selma (Sorola) Johnson raised a bright, optimistic, cheerful, adventuresome girl. They taught her the importance of family and community, values she lived throughout her life. In 1963 she met her future husband at a summer job in Hartford. Two years later she married the lucky guy on a week’s notice and quick planning on Halloween Eve. Their honeymoon consisted of an overnight stay at a motor inn on the way back to her college in Western New York in order to finish her Senior student teaching requirement, followed by a night on a dairy farm as guests of her teaching supervisor and farmer spouse. After witnessing a late-night calf birth and eating a hearty farm-to-table breakfast, Steve headed back to Boston to finish his first semester of law school and ready their apartment while Nancy remained in New York to finish student teaching. They were young, broke, very much in love, and couldn’t wait any longer to get married. As one unexpected consequence of doing so, Nancy would spend the next few years completing her degree in Boston due to the unbending rules of her college that were intended to discourage such rash, youthful life decisions.

After she and Steve graduated in 1968, Steve ‘avoided’ the draft and bought time to take the bar exam by enlisting for officer training in the Army. After basic training, Nancy moved with Steve and their two cats to Alexandria VA so that she would be nearby as he attended Officer training. On the day he reported for training and a six month separation from Nancy, she returned to her newly leased apartment with $5.00 in her wallet and enough gas to get to one more job interview. She got the job, supported Steve and his platoon with contraband night-time mega food runs, designed and sewed their company parade flag, and when Steve earned his commission and got his orders, shared his relief that he wasn’t sent to Vietnam.

In 1970, while Steve was stationed in Baltimore and they lived nearby, their first son, Ben, was born. Three years later, with military service over and living in Pittsfield MA, their family was completed with the arrival of Adam.

There is an early photo that is emblematic of Nancy’s personality and maternal dexterity. It pictures Nancy and her boys, then 4 and 1. Ben is seated on his tricycle, sporting his toy motor cycle googles and helmet. Nancy is crouched with her arms around him as though seated behind, and Adam in a backpack is bringing up the rear. All are looking at the camera and smiling. In this manner her sons were raised in Pittsfield with large doses of love, lots of pets, and much outdoor adventure. Nancy supported her family in practical ways as well, spending hours in their modest basement doing paid piecework sewing while watching and caring for her brood, as Steve worked to become active in their community and grow his law practice. When the boys got older, she returned to school to become a dental hygienist, a profession she mastered and worked at for almost thirty years. Her patients – over as many as 3 generations – loved her for her gentle yet thorough touch and her recall of their family’s names and life events.

After 25 years in Pittsfield, Nancy and Steve moved to Worthington, where they lived for 30 years, until advancing Alzheimer’s and Covid isolation made rural life untenable. While there, Nancy returned to sewing, this time for fun. She made many, many quilts, including personalized, magical folk art quilts for each of their five grandchildren and a Baltimore Album family quilt that will hopefully serve to connect her family for generations. She also continued her love for gardening, long dog walks, and Yoga which she relied upon daily for maintaining her strength and peace of mind. She connected with her community through the Worthington Gardeners, as a town election worker and, as age and dementia were slowly added to the mix, with Chair Yoga at Town Hall.

Nancy is survived by her husband, her sons, Benjamin Smith and his wife Anna Rudnicki, of Southborough, MA, and Adam Smith of Hatfield, MA. She is also survived by her granddaughters: twins Josie and Lizzy Smith of Southborough; and her grandsons: Noah (Shrewsbury MA), Elliot, and Oliver Smith, both of Hatfield. She is also survived by her sister, Carol Zaglio (Peter) of Eastham MA and her brother, Robert E. Johnson (Carole) of Lexington VA., together with their children. She is also survived by her aunt, Phyllis Galambos (nee Johnson) of La Jolla CA and her uncle, Milton Johnson, of Oldsmar FL.

Nancy will be remembered at a memorial service at the Worthington Congregational Church on Saturday, December 6th at 11 a.m. Reception to follow at the Goldenrod Inn. In lieu of flowers contributions to the Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1160 N. Pleasant St., Amherst MA 01002 are encouraged.