Irene G. Smith, of Easton, CT formerly of Shelton, CT passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 3, 2015 surrounded by her family at home.
She was the wife of the late Dr. Charles E. Smith. Born on October 16, 1925 to Stella and Santo Grodovich in Shelton, CT, she grew up in Hartford, CT.
She attended Bulkley High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT in 1947 with a major in English and Speech. At St. Joseph College, she was involved in a multitude of interest which include: President of the Student Government, Vice President of the Dance Club, Secretary of the Queene’s Companye, a dramatic performing company. She also studied and danced with the Hartford Ballet. She did her master’s degree work in English at Fordham University in New York.
She began her teaching career in Shelton at Huntington School and then at Shelton High School where she taught junior and senior English and Speech and later Spanish as well. She was a lifetime member of St. Lawrence Church in Shelton and was one of the original founding families of the parish where she was instrumental in setting up its religious education program. After her teaching career, she became very involved in volunteer work both in the community and at a national level in addition to working in and managing her husband’s dental practice.
She was an avid supporter of the Girl Scouts in development of life opportunities for girls, was President of the Connecticut Trails Council of Girl Scouts and was a member of the National Board of the Girl Scouts USA.
She was a corporator and Trustee of the Board of Hewitt Memorial Hospital in Shelton and a corporator of Griffin Hospital in Derby. She was the first woman to serve as a Director of the Board of Great Country Bank, later Wachovia Bank in Ansonia and was its Audit Committee Chair. She was a past board member of the Valley United Way as well as its President/Board Chair. She was passionately involved in Birmingham Group Health Services, a consortium of mental health agencies, initially as a corporator and then as Chair of the Board and continued to be an advocate for increased mental health funding both in the state legislature and federally. She was Chair of the Valley Advisory Committee for the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven which ultimately created the Valley Community Foundation.
Her awards were numerous and the most notable included: the Valley United Way Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award in 1975, she was the first woman to receive the Valley Chamber of Commerce Gold Seal Award in 1972, and the first recipient of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Platinum Award in 2001.
Her infectious sense of humor and love of literature, opera, crossword puzzles and jumbles will be missed by all.
She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Maria A. Smith and her husband, Dr. Thomas F. Gorman of Easton and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother Edwin Grodovich and her beloved dog Chessy.
The family extends particular thanks to her caretaker, Teresa Gumkowski, for her devoted care, kindness, compassion and friendship in taking care of her. The family also extends thanks to VNS Hospice of Connecticut, Hospice at Home, Trumbull, CT particularly Mark Morahan for his compassion and care.
Friends may call on Wednesday from 3 pm to 7 pm at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Rd. Shelton. Her funeral procession will leave the funeral home on Thursday at 9:45 am for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 am in St. Joseph Church, Shelton. Burial will follow in Mt. St. Peter Cemetery, Derby.
At the request of the family, memorial contributions may be made to the Stella K. and Santo M. Grodovich Library Fund at the University of Saint Joseph, Office of Institutional Advancement, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117 c/o Diane Burgess.
