Mary Bowman Symonds

Mary Bowman Smith Symonds, of Old Lyme died on September 12, 2011, at her residence after a long illness. She was born in the same house on October 22, 1916, the daughter of Impressionist painter Edward Gregory Smith and Annie Graves Smith. She was the widow of Philip Washburn Symonds.

Mrs. Symonds graduated from Florida State University for Women (now FSU) in 1937 and the Yale School of Nursing in 1940. She was a Registered Nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital when the U.S. entered World War ll. The Army needed nurses so she volunteered and was commissioned a U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant. She was stationed with the 39th General Hospital (Yale Unit) in Auckland, New Zealand from November 1942 to May 1944. She served on Guadalcanal with the 137th Station Hospital and finally with the 9th Station Hospital on Okinawa where she was decorated for serving under combat conditions. She returned home in October 1945 and was discharged in December1945 having attained the rank of Captain. Mary returned to active duty in August 1947 and finished her Army service at the Percy Jones General Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan in May 1948.

She married Philip W. Symonds in 1949. They resided in Pennsylvania and New York before returning to Old Lyme in 1966. She was a RN and teacher at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, CT until retiring in 1982. She was a member of the Old Lyme Beach Club and the Lyme Art Association. She loved reading and was a volunteer book binder at the Phoebe-Griffin Noyes Library. An avid sports fan, she supported the UCONN Huskies Women’s Basketball and was thrilled when her beloved Boston Red Sox won the world series twice in her lifetime.

She is survived by her son Gregory Smith Symonds and his wife Jennifer Hazen of Old Lyme. She will be missed by nieces Caro Bick of Chelsea, VT, Lydia Smith of New Hill, NC, nephew Philip Smith and his wife Pam of Wethersfield, CT, as well as Susi and Erich Gibel of Vienna, Austria and Nicki and Chapman Berry Jr. of Old Lyme. She was predeceased by her brothers Schuyler and Gregory Smith.

A memorial service will be held on Friday October 7th at 1100 in the First Congregational Church, Lyme St., Old Lyme. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lyme Art Association, the Phoebe-Griffin Noyes Library, and the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. To sign the on line guest book, visit www.fultontherouxoldlyme.com.