Marie Helen Smoltz passed away at her home in Darien on Saturday, Feb. 4, after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Marie was born in New York in 1941, raised in Worcester, Mass. and lived in Darien for the last 43 years. She vowed she would never leave Darien, especially Noroton Bay, which was a great source of comfort and caring.
Marie received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachussets at Amherst and a master’s degree with honors from Stanford. She spent many years as a teacher in the Stamford and Greenwich school systems.
She received many awards and accolades over the years, but because of her unwavering love of teaching, was most proud of being named Teacher of the Year in Stamford in 1992. A pride exceeded only by the pride in those six grandchildren.
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— an obituary from Edward Lawrence Funeral Home
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Marie is survived by her husband of 49 years, Joe Smoltz, her two sons Ken and Bryan, their wives Liz and Bethany, her brother Rob Mortimer and his wife Mimi, her four nieces, and last and far from least her six loving grandchildren, Jane, Sam, Lucy, Olivia, Ben, and Jack.
The family is eternally grateful to the loving caretakers, especially Dulce Weingoz and Cristina O’Connor who so tenderly cared for Marie during this difficult time. The family would also like to thank the marvelous nurses from Amedisys and the extraordinarily loving nurses from Constellation Hospice of Fairfield County.
The family will receive friends and neighbors from 12:30 to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road, Darien.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Marie’s name may be made to: At Home in Darien, 2 Renshaw Road, Darien, CT 06820 or Aces for Alzheimer’s, 67 Fernwood Road, Larchmont, NY 10538.