Donna Marie Speckhart-Smith

Donna Speckhart-Smith passed away peacefully on January 8, 2025. She was born on March 13, 1960, and was the beloved wife of Peter R. Smith, to whom she was married for almost 42 years. Together, they raised five children to whom Donna was devoted: Peter Jr., Augie, Gillian, Madeleine, and Claire. She loved her daughters-in-law Emily Breece and Emily Sarokin as strongly as she loved her own children. Donna was also a doting grandmother to her grandsons Charlie & Oliver Smith and granddaughters Elizabeth & Margaret Smith.

Donna is survived by her husband, children and grandchildren, but also six siblings, Stephen, Mary, Greg, Patricia, Mark, and John. The Speckhart family recently lost their matriarch, Donna’s mother, Lorraine Speckhart, who died on November 29, 2024. Donna was also a beloved sister-in-law to Peter’s seven siblings and their families.

Donna was raised in Short Hills NJ, attended Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, NJ, and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She and Peter were high school sweethearts whose love only grew as the years passed. The Smith family moved several times for Peter’s career, making wonderful homes for their family in Summit and Far Hills, NJ, Seattle, WA, Lugano, Switzerland, and John’s Creek, GA. In each community, Donna ensured her children received an excellent and challenging education that attended to the whole child.

Though they’ve owned their home in Orleans for a decade, they only decided to make it their full-time home in late 2022. With the children grown and their residence settled, Donna began working at Cape Cod Hospital and revisited her passion of nutrition, where she was completing her accreditation at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She was eager to start working with patients this spring.

Donna’s compassion and efforts to improve educational abilities for those with disabilities were tireless, and she pursued that goal in almost every community in which she lived, including work with the National Down Syndrome Congress. This compassion was no doubt informed by her tremendous faith and commitment to Catholic and Jesuit values, such as care for the marginalized and social justice. Notwithstanding the demands of her many endeavors on behalf of family and friends, she also found time to sit on the boards of The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) and the Quanset Harbor Club.

Beyond her many contributions to her community, Donna was known for her warmth, empathy, and desire to make everyone feel cared for and included. A “quick” errand often turned into an hour of heartfelt conversation as she exchanged life stories with a store owner or a customer in line. Her family lovingly allowed extra travel time, knowing she might bring along one of her three dogs for the ride or stop to catch up with each neighbor she passed while leaving the Quanset Harbor Club. Donna’s boundless passion for life touched all who had the joy of knowing her, and the memory of her warm, loving hugs will be unforgettable. She was also an avid gardener and amazing cook, devoting herself wholeheartedly to the life that she and Peter had built with their children and their families. She will be deeply missed by all those whose lives she touched.

Family and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Thursday, January 16, from 4 pm to 6 pm. at Nickerson Funeral Home, 77 Eldredge Park Way, Orleans, MA.

A funeral Mass celebrating Donna’s life and legacy will be held at Our Lady of the Cape, 468 Stony Brook Road, Brewster, MA 02631, at 11:00 on Friday, January 17th. A Mass of Remembrance for Donna will be held on Monday, January 29th, at 7:45 AM in Grace Hall Chapel at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, 44 Blackburn Road, Summit, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for you to consider a donation to the Riverview School student scholarship fund in Donna and Gillian Marie’s name. https://riverviewschool.ejoinme.org/donation

Riverview School is for students ages 11–22, with complex language, learning, and cognitive challenges, located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States. Gillian graduated from Riverview in 2012.