Mary B. Smith

Mary B. Smith, 96, of Waterbury, beloved wife of the late Francis “Red’ Smith, passed away peacefully on June 18, 2023. Mary was born on January 26, 1927 in Waterbury, CT to the late Edward and Margaret (Kehoe) Byrne.

Mary was a 1944 graduate of Naugatuck High School. She attended Dunbarton College of Holy Cross in Washington D.C. After graduating in 1946 with a Liberal Arts degree, she returned to Naugatuck and was married to Red Smith shortly after. They built a beautiful home she was very proud of and welcomed their son Leroy.

Mary was the Executive Director of the Naugatuck Chapter of the American Red Cross for 33 years, a job that she loved and took pride in helping people. She was a member of The Women’s Club, Rotary, and dabbled in real estate after her retirement. She was well loved in her community and admired for her generosity. Mary had a passion for travel and visited many places in her lifetime and family time at their cottage in Watertown was undoubtedly her favorite place to be.

Mary leaves behind her two granddaughters, Carrie Ellis and her boyfriend Stacy Sacharko of Meriden, and Jennifer and Sean Nielsen of Wolcott. She was predeceased by her beloved son, Leroy Smith in 2020. Leroy lovingly cared for his mom in her elder years and the two were extremely close. She also leaves 4 great grandchildren, Jacob, Jessica, Reid and Brady and several nieces and nephews, her sister Anne Schaefer’s children – Richard, Tom, Peggy, Barbera, Joanne and Judy. She also leaves her Goddaughter Nancy Pye and companion Sav whom she loved dearly. Lastly, her cat Bella who was such a comfort to her and she loved so much.

We would like to extend a special thank you to all of Mary’s aides. Alice, Tracey, Jacie, Elexis, Lynn, Susan, Debbie and Maria took exceptional care of her in her last years, we could not have asked for a better team of caregivers.