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Marie A. Smith

Marie Ann (Cunningham) Smith, 96, of Old Saybrook, formerly of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on June 17. Her home for the past four years has been with her daughter Anne Willbanks and family in Old Saybrook.

She was born Oct. 29, 1926, in Chester, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of the late Lawrence Cunningham (1885-1950) and Mary (McLaughlin) Cunningham (1898-1980). Marie was a devout Catholic. She attended St. Michael Grade School and graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1944 (on D-Day).

After high school, she worked for Allied Chemical doing lab work usually done by college-educated chemists, who at the time were serving in the war. Marie left her job in 1947 to marry John Jay Smith (1926-2003), a returning World War II veteran. Together they had 10 children: Timothy, Kevin, Dennis, Stephen, Maureen, Shawn, Francis, Jacqueline, Anne, and Lucy.

She lived in Pennsylvania until 1956, when she moved to Wilmington, Delaware, for John’s teaching career. She lived in Immaculate Heart of Mary parish for nine years and then Christ Our King Parish, where she remained a loyal member until it closed on her 90th birthday in 2016.

She spent much of her life caring for her children and grandchildren. News of the birth of a grandchild or great-grandchild brought her great joy. She firmly believed all human life is precious. For many years, she peacefully prayed outside abortion clinics and prisons where the death penalty was being carried out. Up until a week before she died, she donated to charities that cared for veterans, local people in need, and poor people all over the world.

She was a frequent volunteer at church bazaars, school carnivals, prayer chains, school cafeterias, scout troops, and soup kitchens. She was a faithful adorer at the perpetual adoration chapels at St. Ann and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wilmington from the time they opened in 1997 until 2014, when she was 87.

She is survived by nine of her 10 children, their spouses, 38 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her son Francis (1958-2022); her granddaughter Desiree (1976-2021); her great-granddaughter Kaylene (2002-2016); her sister Catherine (1929-2002); and her brother Lawrence (1925-1984).

Her Mass of Christian burial was at 11 a.m. June 29, at Holy Rosary Church, Claymont, Delaware. Visitation was prior to the service from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and burial followed at Immaculate Heart of Mary Cemetery, Linwood, Pennsylvania.

Marie’s family would like to thank MSG DiMarco and OFC Egan of the Old Saybrook Police Department for their kind, compassionate care. They confirmed she did not want medical intervention when her body began to shut down, and they came to pronounce her death. They helped make a difficult time more bearable, and we are very grateful.