Obituary: Margaret A. Smith

Margaret A. Smith, 88

Margaret A. (Connolly) Smith, age 88, of Brockton, died on Jan. 27 at Boston Medical Center.

Born in Brockton and raised in Hull, Mrs. Smith was the daughter of the late Joseph and Elizabeth (Knowles) Connolly and the wife of the late Hugh L. Smith.

Mrs. Smith was a 1951 graduate of Hingham High School and a 1955 graduate of Bridgewater State College. She continued her education at Bridgewater State to earn her master’s degree in education in 1957. 

Mrs. Smith valued education and her years spent as a teacher, where she could help her students, first in Hull at the Damon School then in Brockton at the Gilmore School. She spent the majority of her career at the Raymond School in Brockton and retired in 1998. Following her retirement, she enjoyed tutoring at Education Inc. until the age of 86.

For many years, she was a secretary of the Brockton Education Association and supervised student teachers in the education department at Stonehill College. Mrs. Smith had a deep, quiet faith and had been an active parishioner of St. Patrick’s Church. She also sang in the church choir. 

An avid reader, she was a loyal follower of local Brockton politics and enjoyed the Boston Red Sox. Summers were spent by the ocean in Hull with her beloved father, and she was able to travel to Ireland, Europe, and throughout the United States. 

Mrs. Smith is survived by her children, Robert Smith of Brockton, Elizabeth LaForest and her husband, William, of Duxbury, Joann O’Connell and her husband, Tom, of Hull, and her stepchildren David Smith and his wife, Fran, of Plymouth, and Nancy Hill and her husband, Steve, of Lakeville. She was the grandmother of Jack and Kyle LaForest and sister of the late Mary Connolly, Elizabeth Connolly, Fr. John Connolly, and James Connolly.

Services have been held. Donations in Mrs. Smith’s name may be made to the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle, 24 Clark Street, Boston, MA 02109.