Mary Louise Smith

July 2, 1928 – July 25, 2025

Marie Louise Smith—known to all as Mary Lou—passed away peacefully on July 25, 2025, at Our Lady of Peace Retirement Facility in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was 97.

Born in Hempstead, New York, on July 2, 1928, to Louis and Elizabeth Theiss, Mary Lou grew up with a curiosity and love of learning that brought her to the University of Mount St. Vincent on the Hudson River, where she earned a bachelors degree in social work. On October 14, 1950, she married Gray E. Smith, at Sacred Heart Church in Bayside, NY. They had a truly incredible marriage. They built a home in Smithtown, New York, where they raised three children: Gray E. Smith Jr., Genevieve E. Thompson, and David G. Smith.

While her primary devotion was to family, Mary Lou pursued many endeavors—legal secretary, substitute teacher, and Harris Poll interviewer/compiler—each reflecting her strong intellect and genuine interest in people. Later, she and Gray followed his career to new adventures and locations, including Princeton, NJ and Oak Ridge, TN. They retired in New Bern, North Carolina, where Mary Lou’s generous spirit found a fitting outlet: crocheting thousands of baby hats and blankets for the local hospital auxiliary, amassing more than 5,000 volunteer hours.

Mary Lou was an avid reader with an adventurous spirit. She and Gray shared a love of flying, sailing, and traveling. She was renowned for her sense of gratitude, and never missed an opportunity to say thank you. This ever-present gratitude endeared her to the staff and residents of Our Lady of Peace, where she found refuge after Hurricane Florence flooded her New Bern home in 2018.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gray; her parents Leonard and Elizabeth Theiss; her sister, Constance McGlinchy; her brother, Louis L. Theiss Jr.; her daughter-in-law, Christine Smith; and her grandson, Luke A. Smith. She is survived by her children and their spouses—Gray E. Smith Jr.; Genevieve E. (Thompson) and Dan Thompson; and David G. and Marilyn Smith—six grandchildren, Amanda K. LeMon (Micah), Ian G. Thompson (Whitney), Daric B. Thompson, Gray E. Smith III (Bay Elizabeth), Evan G. Smith Samantha Sclafani), and great-grandchildren Levi A. LeMon, Violet Smith, Lillian Smith, and Indie Gray Thompson. Her kindness, spirit, and unwavering love live on in each of them.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:15 p.m. on July 30, 2025, at the Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville. The mass will be live-streamed at Incarnationparish.org. Interment will follow at Riverview Cemetery. In keeping with Mary Lou’s humble nature, there will be no formal visitation.

Those wishing to honor her memory may consider crocheting a baby blanket for a local hospital or making a donation to the volunteer auxiliary of CarolinaEast Medical Center in New Bern—the community she served so faithfully.

Mary Lou’s family thanks the devoted caregivers and friends who filled her final years with laughter, dignity, and love.