Paula Louise Smith

Paula Louise Smith, 69, of Peabody MA died peacefully October 30 surrounded by loved ones after a long struggle with melanoma. Born in 1950 in Stoneham MA, she was the youngest child of the late Anne M. (Maguire) Smith and George C. Smith. She is survived by her loving husband Paul Harty, dear sisters Susanne Smith (Frank Roderick) and Nathalie Meyfarth (George), cherished nephew Christopher Meyfarth, dear stepchildren Joseph Harty, Leigh (Harty) Walant (Chris), dear sisters-in-law Mary (Harty) Buckley, Kathleen Harty and Claire (Harty) Diminico, and loving cousins Dan Salera, William Smith, Joseph Smith, Paul Smith and Mary-Ellen Hodges. Paula attended Stoneham High School, Westbrook College and Windham College. She retired in 2012 after 25 years with the Mass. Water Resources Authority, prior to that she had a rewarding career at Harvard Community Health Plan. After retirement Paula worked as a personal organizer and companion. She found great joy later in life in her marriage to Paul Harty. Paula was a woman of great warmth, wit, and charm. Her intelligence and strong organizational skills combined with a marvelous sense of humor and appreciation of the absurdities of life, greatly endeared her to all who knew her. When asked about hobbies, Paula always said that her hobby was her family and friends, and she had a wide circle of friends from every stage of her life. She exhibited great courage and compassion throughout her illness. Paula's family is grateful for the skill and compassion shown by the medical staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Reisman11th Floor Oncology Dept. and 4th floor Finard ICU. In addition, they are thankful for the wonderful care she received in the last weeks of life at the Kaplan Family Hospice House. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held in the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Sunday, Nov 3 from 1-4pm. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Paula's name can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center https://donate.splcenter.org/ or, the Kaplan Family Hospice House, checks payable to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St. Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923 (Memo: Kaplan Family Hospice House), or on-line at https://www.caredimensions.org/giving/