Penelope A. Smith of White Plains died April 30, 2021 after a sudden illness. Penny, as she was known, was born in The Bronx, New York to Clare Wallis Leonard and John Leonard on August 14, 1937. Penny was raised by her mother from a young age with the help of her aunt Eileen and many other extended family members. She was very proud of her hardworking mother, who worked as a secretary at Columbia University, and the fact that she had lived in almost every neighborhood in the Bronx, as she moved often as a child during World War II.
Penny was a graduate of The Academy of Mount St. Ursula in The Bronx, The College of New Rochelle, and held a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Columbia University Teachers College. She began her teaching career teaching third grade at the Barnard School for Boys in Riverdale. After taking a ten year hiatus from her career, she later taught first grade for over 30 years at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pelham Manor, NY. She got great joy from teaching young children, and loved to tell her family stories about her most entertaining students.
Penny was married to the late Richard J. Smith for 43 years. They moved from The Bronx to Scarsdale, where they resided for over 20 years with Clare and Elieen and their children Andrew and Douglas Smith. Other than teaching, Penny had many other passions that brought her enjoyment. She loved cooking and entertaining for her family and friends from near and far and her colleagues at school. She was a talented knitter who loved making baby blankets, hats, and sweaters for anyone she knew. She enjoyed her daily crossword puzzle, and her weekly bridge game with her sister-in-law Sylvia, college chum Jeanie, and somewhat reluctant husband was the center of her social and family life for many years.
Penelope was a longtime parishioner of St. Pius X Church in Scarsdale New York, and prior to this year never missed attending Sunday Mass. However nothing gave her more joy in life than caring for and spoiling her two grandchildren who she loved dearly. Because of Penny there was not an educational toy or book that her grandchildren didn’t have. In her later years Penny enjoyed vacationing, attending mass, and dining out with her family. Penny leaves behind her beloved son Douglas J. Smith and his wife Gina Smith with whom she resided in White Plains, NY, and her two grandchildren Sabrina and Alexander Smith. She is predeceased by her husband Richard J. Smith and her son Andrew P. Smith.
Visitation will be at Edwin L. Bennett Funeral Home at 824 Scarsdale Avenue, Scarsdale on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 from 4:00PM to 7:00PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Pius X Church, 91 Secor Road, Scarsdale, NY at 10:00AM on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY. Floral tributes are welcome, but also please consider making a donation in her name to The Andrew P. Smith Memorial Book Fund at St. John’s College, Annapolis, ℅ the Development Office at 60 College Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.
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