Helen Dorothy Smith

Helen Dorothy Smith, a scholar, a teacher, and an advisor to countless occupational therapists over a 40-year span, of Weymouth died August 23rd at the age of 81 following several years of declining health due to Alzheimers. Before retiring in 1998, Helen was an Associate Professor at the Boston School of Occupational Therapy (BSOT) at Tufts University. Her remarkable career encompassed academic, advising, and administrative contributions to the university community as well as international recognition as the co-editor of the leading text for occupational therapists.

Helen was born in Weymouth in 1933, the only child of Cyrus Averill Smith and Dorothy Plummer Smith. She was raised in Braintree and moved to Philadelphia at age 12 after the death of her father and the remarriage of her mother to Francis Driscoll. Helen attended Immaculata College in Pennsylvania where she received an AB in history in 1955. Before pursuing a career in the field of occupational therapy (OT), Helen was employed with the United States Foreign Service. Later she attended the Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania where she received a Certificate in Occupational Therapy in 1959. She would go on to receive a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Washington in 1972.    

Upon completing her studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Helen worked as Assistant Director of the Curative Workshop in Philadelphia supervising clinical training for industrial accident cases. In 1960, she became the Associate Director of Occupational Therapy at St. Francis General Hospital in Pittsburgh where she assisted in setting up the OT department and developing treatment programs. In 1963, Helen moved on to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh where she founded and directed the OT department. In addition to her role in developing the new program, she lectured in the nursing school, taught in the Catherine McCauley School of Practical Nursing, and conducted trainings for in-service head nurses and staff nurses.

In 1967, Helen accepted a two-year position at Tufts University teaching courses in Physical Dysfunction. Several years later, she served her first of two different terms as Chair of the Boston School of Occupational Therapy. Her colleagues remember her as a warm administrator with an open door policy. As an educator, Helen cared deeply about her students, always rising to the challenges they presented and offering her insights with great humor. As one faculty member declared, Helen “radiated joy.”   

 She brought further recognition to Tufts when, together with colleague and friend, Helen Hopkins, she edited the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th editions of the landmark text, Willard and Spackman’s Occupational Therapy, which is still considered the cornerstone in national and international OT circles. 

On a professional level, Helen was a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and was recognized on numerous occasions by them for her outstanding work. Helen’s primary areas of interest centered on physical dysfunction and aging. She was a recipient of the prestigious award “Fellow of American Occupational Therapy Association” (FAOTA). She was also a member of the American Society on Aging, the World Federation of Occupational Therapy, and the Massachusetts Association for Occupational Therapy. She traveled around the world, guest lecturing at OT programs and seminars. She enjoyed traveling even in retirement, and continued to maintain her clinical expertise by volunteering at local nursing homes and at South Shore Hospital. When not teaching or traveling, Helen’s passion was classical music; she cherished her season tickets to the Boston Symphony and the Pops. 

Helen was also very committed to her Christian faith, serving as a Eucharistic minister at the Immaculate Conception Parish in East Weymouth. She was a secular Franciscan for 55 years. 

Helen will be missed by her extended family of cousins, including Mark Wentworth of Abington, William Gilpin of Sagamore, Lorraine Patton of South Dennis, Nancy Connor of Centerville, Neil Wentworth of Arizona, Joseph Gilpin of Florida, Cynthia Marshall of California, Robert Whittaker of Maryland, and Rachel Sellars of Connecticut. In addition to her family, Helen leaves her dear friend of 40 years, Norma Springer of East Weymouth. The family extends appreciation to the staff of the Queen Anne Nursing Home for their care and compassion during Helen’s four-year stay. 

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend visiting hours on Wednesday from 4-8 PM in the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home, South Weymouth (Rte. 18 opposite South Shore Hospital). A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Immaculate Conception Church, Weymouth on Thursday at 10 AM. Burial will follow at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Abington.   

In lieu of flowers, donations in Helen’s memory may be made to Immaculate Conception Parish (720 Broad Street, East Weymouth MA 02189) or a charity of your choice.