BRIGHTON, Mass. - Sandra Ferreira Smith died peacefully Sunday, May 9, 2010, at Kindred Hospital with the comforting help and support of Compassionate Care Hospice in Woburn, Mass.
She was born May 14, 1933, in Boston to Robert A. Ferreira and Ellen (Bayley) Ferreira. She moved to Concord at an early age and was a member of Concord High School, Class of 1951. She earned a bachelor's degree in business from Simmons College in 1955.
She was employed for 31 years at United Life and the Chubb Co. as director of advertising and sales promotions and also as a compliance auditor.
She was an early advocate for women's equality in the state of New Hampshire. She was appointed to the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women by Gov. Walter Peterson. She also served on the New Hampshire Judicial Commission appointed by Gov. Hugh Gallen. She was the first female layperson to be named to that post. In 1977, she was a delegate to the International Women's Year conference in Houston, Texas, and served as treasurer of that delegation. She was a former president of the National Organization for Women in New Hampshire. She was a former president of the Simmons Club of New Hampshire. She also served as a board member for NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire and with the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union. As an accomplished seamstress, she belonged to the New Hampshire Dressmakers Guild. She spent her later years in extensive genealogical research and held membership in the New England Genealogical and Historic Society.
She is survived by her husband, Roger A. Smith of Concord; son, Jay Smith of Dongguan, China; a granddaughter, Kira; and two sisters, Catherine Parenteau of Delmar, N.Y., and Ruth Houghton of Chebeague Island, Maine.
Services will be private and will be held at a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to First Congregational Church, 177 N. Main St., Concord 03301.