Shirley MacDonald Smyth

Shirley MacDonald Smyth, age 95 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully at home on Saturday, March 4, 2023, surrounded by her cherished family and under the caring watch of Hunterdon Hospice.

Born on February 3, 1928, in New York City, NY, daughter of the late Irvin S. MacDonald and Velma Edwards Oppenheim, Shirley was raised on Briar Lane in Pelham Manor, NY, and had lived in Pelham Manor for much of her life.

Raised during the Great Depression, Shirley knew the value of hard work and staying connected as a family. Though times were tough, her parents endeavored to give Shirley a good childhood, and she had many happy memories from her youth, specifically climbing trees and summer trips to Vermont.

Her youth, though it was during “tough” times, was filled with love and joy. Her parents taught her proper etiquette and manners, and she was known to pass this trait onto her children and grandchildren as one never placed their elbows on the table at mealtime!

Graduating from Siwanoy Elementary School, she would then graduate Pelham Memorial High School in 1948. Following high school, Shirley went to work to help the family as an office clerk in a Presbyterian church in Manhattan, and at the same time volunteered as a Sunday school teacher at Huguenot Memorial Church in Pelham Manor, NY.

It would not be long before Shirley would meet a young man named William Smyth, and soon after in 1953 they married and decided to drive cross country to begin a new life in San Diego, CA.

West Coast life didn’t suit the couple, and after several years they decided it would be best to move back east to Mount Vernon, NY. After settling into their new home, Shirley and William decided to adopt two children, Steven in 1965 and Jennifer in 1966. For the couple, married life had run its course by 1969 and they divorced, however they remained good friends until William’s passing in 2008.

After their separation, Shirley and the kids moved to a small, two-family home with her mother, Velma, and her husband, Leslie, in Pelham, NY. As a single mother, she took a day job as an office worker at Longines-Wittnauer, in New Rochelle, NY, and at nights and on weekends, she worked as a retail clerk at Cardinal Ties, then Tableset located in the New Rochelle Mall; there was nothing that Shirley would not do to help her children have all that they wanted to achieve their dreams.

In 1998, Shirley moved to Flemington, NJ, to be closer to Jennifer, and her grandchildren, Shannon, Brianna, and Timothy, who were the light of her eyes. Always the hard worker, she came back to work at the family’s farm-stand, “Ubel’s Farm Stand” where she was much loved by all the customers.

Having many hobbies, most everything in Shirley’s world revolved around her family, specifically her children and grandchildren. She loved spending time with them and each person in her world had a special nickname which reflected her affection for that person.

A passionate New York Yankees and Nascar fan, she was also a card shark, with her and William winning many bridge tournaments over the years. She was a master gardener and chess playing aficionado and had a special place in her heart for cats-many strays found a home with Shirley and she was known to feed the feral cats when she could because they meant so much to her.

Shirley was also an artist in many ways and as a young woman, she recorded many albums with her mother and sister, Beverly. She was also a tap dancer and teacher, she played the piano, and she enjoyed painting (watching Bob Ross being among one of her favorite things on television).

Though her passing leaves a void in the hearts of all who knew her, Shirley’s legacy as a woman who paved the way for other women, a single mom who paved the way for other single moms, and a grandmother who loved without reservation, is solidified in the hearts of all who were touched by her loving heart. To honor Shirley, is to be the best version of yourself that you can be and to simply live each day to the fullest.

In addition to her parents and former husband, William, Shirley was preceded in death by a brother, Douglas MacDonald and a sister, Beverly Stuart.

Surviving are her son, Steven Smyth; her daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Mark Ubel; her grandchildren, Shannon Ubel, Brianna and her husband, Andrew Garris, and Timothy and his wife, Molly Ubel; several nieces, nephews, and extended family; and many dear friends.

Cremation and Life Celebration Services are private under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

You are encouraged to visit Shirley’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

Memorial contributions in her honor may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or online by clicking HERE, or please give to your local animal rescue in her name.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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