Love of music
MELROSE — Alice W. (Whitcher) Smith, a longtime resident of Melrose, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 10 at Winchester Hospital, at age 83.
Alice was born in Wilmington, DE on September 5, 1941, one of four children of the late Wendell J. Whitcher and Exa Wylene (Rumble) Whitcher. Alice’s childhood was spent in Carneys Point, NJ, Grove City, PA and finally Williston, VT where she graduated from Burlington High School.
Musically gifted and equally passionate, Alice played the organ at her first Church service at age 11. With a deep love of music, she continued her education at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. After a chance meeting on a bus ride home to Vermont, she was introduced to Frank S. Smith who would become her loving husband and partner of 58 years. They settled in Melros where Alice devoted herself to her four children and lived a life sharing her love of music.
Alice touched the lives of many through her love of music and shared her passion enthusiastically as a piano teacher for close to 40 years. While teaching nights and weekday, she also served as Choir Director or Church Organist for numerous area Churches including in Melrose at Trinity Church, First United Methodist, First Baptist Church and in Medford at Grace Episcopal and the Congregational Church of W. Medford. A natural performer, Alice filled each Church with both her outgoing personality and precise musical melodies.
After nearly 50 years serving in churches, she retired from Church of the Good Shepherd in Watertown to enjoy quiet Sunday mornings at home. In addition to her piano teaching and choir directing, Alice also was a well-regarded and sought after accompanist. Alice performed freelance and served as the primary accompanist for Newton Public School choruses, orchestras and bands for many years. With her exacting ear and background as a singer, she excelled in her role of making solo performances a success. Through her hard work and determination, Alice helped to develop and record the piano accompaniments for a stringed instrument educational series which is still in regular use today.
Outside of her career in music, Alice found joy in simple pleasures surrounded by family. She cherished moments spent every summer on the shores of Lake Champlain on Grand Isle with her family. She delighted in concerts at Tanglewood with husband Frank and supported the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops. She enjoyed sewing clothing for her children when they were young and later turned her creative attention to quilt-making. An intelligent and proud woman, she loved discussing current events as well as sharing stories about her life with her loved ones.
A fierce advocate for women’s rights, Alice volunteered as a La Leche League leader offering breast feeding support to hundreds of new mothers for over 20 years. She also volunteered at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital offering in-person support to new moms and babies when her children were young.
Above all, Alice loved being a grandmother and took special pride in each of her grandchildren. She will be deeply and sorely missed, but her passion for life, big enthusiastic laugh and deep love for music will continue in the hearts and minds of her family as her legacy. May she rest in peace.
Alice was the beloved wife of the late Frank S. Smith with whom she shared 58 years of marriage. Devoted mother of Rachel Smith and her partner Sean Hughes of Canton; Emily Smith-Sturr and her husband Ted of Melrose; Ben Smith and his wife Bunny of Colchester, CT; and Matt Smith and his partner Wendy Sulkazi; and his late wife Sheila of Shrewsbury. Dear sister of Sarah Vickery of AL; Wendell Whitcher, Jr. of GA; and Mary von Alt of VT. Cherished grandmother of Holly, Belle, Charlotte, Isaac, Nicholas, Amanda, Thomas, Daniel and Ryan; and great-grandmother of Faye. Also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to gather to honor Alice’s life at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Mass Ave., Cambridge for her funeral service on Monday, September 16 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Alice’s memory can be made to Planned Parenthood, Act Blue or the Grand Isle Rescue Squad. For online tribute please, visit RobinsonFuneralHome.com.
