Brenda Mary Smith Burke of Scituate, formerly North Easton, passed away from Alzheimer’s at age 75 on April 4th, 2024. She was surrounded by her husband of 53 years, James, and their daughters Julie (Mark Blanchard) and Elizabeth (Richard Roberts).
Brenda was the seventh child born to Joseph and Lorena (née Crowley) Smith. She is predeceased by brothers Joseph, Francis, Bernard, and William, as well as her sister Bernadette. Her brother John Michael Smith (Maryann) resides in Westminster, MA.
Brenda was a proud graduate of both Notre Dame Academy in Worcester and the Boston College School of Nursing. Despite his character flaw of attending the College of the Holy Cross, she fell in love with “Jimmy” Burke over summer vacation in Marshfield. The two wed weeks after their respective college graduations in 1970.
Brenda worked at Boston City Hospital and then as a visiting nurse with the Brockton VNA and Norfolk Bristol VNA. In her later career she was a Nurse Educator at Caritas Good Samaritan and an instructor for the Blue Hills LPN program. She retired from nursing after 50 years. In spite of her work, Brenda always made it to every one of her girls’ games, performances, and activities.
She had a creative side, which she satisfied by being a member of Bound Brook Artisans Co-op in Cohasset, owning a basket store in Easton, and knitting for The Charity Guild as well as The Linus Project.
Brenda leaves behind 5 devoted grandchildren: Madeline and Clara Blanchard of Cohasset, and Burke, Padraig, and Eilish Roberts of Southborough. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Brockton, on Wednesday, April 10 from 4:00-7:00 pm. The funeral procession will gather at the funeral home on Thursday at 10:30am. The Funeral Mass will take place on Thursday at 11:30am at Immaculate Conception Church, 193 Main Street, North Easton.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Brenda may be made to The Charity Guild www.thecharityguild.org where she served as a longtime board member.