Sister M. Dympna (Nancy) Smith, 86, a Sister of Mercy for 68 years, died unexpectedly Sunday, September 7, 2014. A native of Dover, New Hampshire, Sister Dympna was the daughter of John and Anne (Boyle) Smith.
Sister Dympna received her B.A. degree in education from Mount St. Mary College, Hooksett, New Hampshire, and her M. Ed. degree in education from Boston College. She was a reading specialist.
For many years Sister Dympna was a dedicated teacher in Catholic elementary schools in New Hampshire. She taught at St. Mary School, Claremont; Holy Trinity School, Somersworth; St. Patrick School, Portsmouth; St. John School, Laconia; St. Patrick School, Manchester; and St. Joseph School, Keene, where she was both a teacher and the principal. She also served on the faculty at Mount St. Mary College in Hooksett. She was a vocation director for the Community.
From 1983 until her retirement in 2000, Sister Dympna was a chaplain at Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, Massachusetts. From 2001 to 2009 she was director of pastoral care at Christ the King Parish, Mashpee, Massachusetts. From 2009 until her death, she continued parish ministry at Christ the King Parish as facilitator for bereavement and prayer shawl ministry.
Sister Dympna is survived by her sisters, Sister Anastasia Smith of Nashua, New Hampshire; Patricia MacDonald, and her husband, John, of York Harbor, Maine; a niece and nephew and their families; and several cousins; as well as the members of her Mercy Community.
Friends may call at the Warde Health Center, 21 Searles Road, Windham, N.H., on Friday, September 12, from 9:30-11 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. in the chapel. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Bedford, N.H.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 21 Searles Road, PO Box 420, Windham, NH 03087-0420.
Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St, Salem, NH has care of the arrangements. To send a message of condolence to the family, please view the obituary at www.douglasandjohnson.com