Lisa Diane Smith of Bedford, NH was found to have passed away on March 5, 2025. For her, this unexpected ending marked the beautiful beginning of the all-things-made-new life that Lisa longed for.
Lisa was born in Rochester, New York, to Robert and Margaret Bridges along with siblings Susan, Mark, Laurie Jo, and Cindy. Lisa met her husband, Terry Smith, at Vanderbilt and soon after began a long teaching career in special education.
For more than 30 years, Lisa developed individualized education plans to help each student reach their full potential. Some years, she was given responsibility for as many as 70 students, and she frequently worked long into the night to ensure all her kids received the support they needed.
Lisa was a selfless and caring parent to her son Josh and daughter-in-law Rebekah, a doting Grandma to Naomi, and a bulwark of trust and wisdom for her friends. She prayed for others as long and as fervently as anyone in her family has ever known.
Lisa may have encountered some heart trouble and likely died from hypothermia in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Friends remember how Lisa’s personal experiences and love for God informed her discernment and compassion. They reflect on her selflessness, her love of entertaining, and the confidences she kept. And like Jesus, Lisa sought to love and serve the marginalized.
Bekah remembers how Lisa was always so quick to remind us about hope and the unseen. Naomi fondly recalls early morning tea parties with Grandma. And Josh remembers a woman of tremendous strength and virtue whose devotion to family, friends, and even strangers pictured Jesus’s love for all of us.
Calling hours will be on Thursday, March 13, from 5 – 7 pm at the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 290 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry, NH.
Mom’s celebration of life will be on Friday, March 14, at 10:00 am at Orchard Christian Fellowship, 136 Pillsbury Rd., Londonderry. She will be buried in the spring in the Bedford Center Cemetery, Bedford, NH.
Donations in memory of Lisa may be made to Southern Sudan Hope Foundation, operated by her dear friend Ageth. https://southernsudanhope.org/shop/