Obituaries

It is with the deepest sorrow that I announce the passing of our beloved mother, Mary Ann Smith. After a battle fought with extraordinary courage, wit, and the same fierce advocacy she dedicated to countless patients, she passed away in Charleston, South Carolina on August 17, 2025. She was 78.

Born on November 20, 1946, Mom was a force of nature. A 1967 Honors Graduate of Allegheny General Hospital School of Nursing, she embarked on a distinguished 45-year career in the most demanding environments of medicine. She was a true "nurse's nurse," a specialist in the high-stakes worlds of the ICU and PACU.

A trailblazer, she was a co-lead on the nursing team for Pittsburgh's first heart transplant in the late 60s, and an expert educator in the world-class burn unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey, where all three of her children were born.

Mom was a protector, a mentor, and a healer who saved countless lives and, as she once noted, helped those who were lost go more gently because of her care.

While she was a nurse before she was a mother, she was a mother first and foremost. Her love was unconditional, and expressed through unwavering support for her kids and grandkids. She was our biggest cheerleader. While a nurturing force in our lives, she also instilled in us an inner strength and resilience matched with her own brand of grit.

Even in her final, difficult months battling a severe form of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), which is a rare blood cancer, her indomitable spirit never wavered. She faced her illness not as a passive patient, but as an expert participant, advocating for herself, questioning her care, and finding humor in the darkest moments—from naming her IV pole "Tonto" to shouting at the platelets. She fought with vigor for even one more good day, and in doing so, taught us all one final lesson in strength and dignity.

Mary Ann Smith leaves behind a legacy of professionalism, compassion, and a family bound by the fierce love and loyalty she instilled in them. She will be profoundly missed, but the impact of her life and the lessons she taught will endure.

Thank you, Mom. We love you.

Beth Simmons, Jeffrey Smith, and Michael Smith

Because our family is scattered across states and countries, there will be no service. If you would like to reach out to the family, please feel free to reach out to me here, or at bethks1971@gmail.com and I will send you my number.