Thelma Eve Smith, 95, of Mims Florida, passed away Sunday October 21, 2018 at home. She was born in Lewiston Maine, the daughter of Henry Francis Peacock and Ruth Cornelia McKenney Peacock of Auburn Maine. Her father worked at a shoe factory in Auburn. She was salutatorian from Edward Little High School, and was awarded a scholarship to the University of Maine, receiving her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics during World War II. In 1944 after receiving her degree, she had a war job at Curtis-Wright Aircraft Corporation in Patterson New Jersey. After the war, she returned to school, receiving a master’s degree in Mathematics from Yale University in 1946. At the time, she was one of only a few female students at Yale since the College did not accept women as undergraduates. After getting her master’s degree she taught for a year at the Hollowell State School for Girls in Maine. She then accepted a teaching job at Wells College in upper state New York, where she worked for three years. During the summer of 1949, she and her friend Gertrude Miller drove across the country together, visiting many parks and other sights. Thelma then enrolled at Columbia University for a year. She next moved to Knoxville Tennessee to teach mathematics at the University of Tennessee, where she met her husband Robert James Smith, another mathematician, when they shared an office in the mathematics department. Together, they had six children. After the children were grown Thelma taught as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut. Thelma and Bob lived in several locations during their marriage, including Kingston Ontario in Canada, Aberdeen South Dakota, Sydney Australia, Townsville Australia, Willington Connecticut, and Manchester Connecticut, retiring together to Mims Florida in 1992.
In addition to her parents, Thelma was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Robert James Smith, as well as her eldest daughter Heather Catherine Smith, her sister Beverly Latimer, and her brother Francis Warren Peacock. She is survived by five children, daughter Pam Smith, of San Francisco California, daughter Jill Tilton (husband Mark Tilton) of Jamaica Plain Massachusetts, daughter Beverly Smith (husband Mark Giroux) of Johnson City Tennessee, daughter Terry Auer (partner John Fecteau) of Cocoa Florida, and son Barry Smith of Naperville Illinois, as well as six grand-children.
Thelma spent much of her life caring for her family, who she loved very much. She enjoyed reading, traveling, crossword puzzles, knitting, photography, bird-watching, looking after their many cats, and spending time with her family. She especially enjoyed vacationing with her family on Jolly Island, on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, with her college roommate Grace King. Thelma enjoyed learning new things, and instilled a love of learning in all of her children.
The family would like to thank her caregivers Barbara Martinez, Cheryl English, Cindy Bober, Malinda Anello, Cheryl Tomlin-Lewis and Pamela Allen, as well as many other caregivers over the years.
The service will be held Friday October 26, 2018 at Frontenac Baptist Church, 5500 N. US Highway 1, Cocoa, FL 32927. Visitation will be at 1 PM, the service at 2 PM, followed by the burial. Arrangements have been made through Brevard Memorial Funeral Home.
