1933
Phyllis
2020
Phyllis S. (Smith) Meshanic
February 8, 1933 — April 3, 2020
Phyllis Meshanic Obituary
On April 3, 2020, Phyllis Meshanic, of Columbia, passed away at her home, surrounded by her loved
ones, after a short but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer at age 87.
Phyllis was predeceased by her husband of 57 years, Robert Meshanic, PhD, whom
she nursed through a long struggle with Alzheimer’s, until he passed in 2013. She is
survived by her sons, Peter (Sarah), and Carl (Jackie), and grandchildren Jessie
Meshanic and Jackson, Carter and Hunter Meshanic, and her younger sister, Rachel
(Jerome) Brandt.
Phyllis was born on February 8, 1933, in Philadelphia, PA, to Mildred (Heppe) Smith
and John Franklin Smith. The daughter of a church organist, Phyllis studied and
excelled at organ, piano, and cello. She grew up on the Philadelphia Main Line where
she attended Lower Merion High School and played cello and accompanied the school
choirs.
A cum laude graduate of Wilson College, where she majored in mathematics and
music, Phyllis was employed by a pension actuarial firm while holding organist positions
at area churches. She met her husband during these college years on a blind date
arranged by her college roommate and best friend. Phyllis and Bob married on June
10, 1952.
Husband Bob held a series of college administrator positions, first at Temple and Drexel
Universities in Philadelphia, PA, and then moving on to posts on Long Island and
Oneonta, New York, and finally to Willimantic, Connecticut. Through these years,
Phyllis found friendships in each town, often through her part-time organist jobs, church
choir directorships, her activities as a program chair of several chapters of the American
Guild of Organists, and various sewing and bridge clubs, and sons and grandchildren’s
sports and extracurriculars. She earned her master’s in college and career counseling
at Central Connecticut State University in 1984.
Phyllis will be dearly missed by her family and many friends, who will fondly remember
her exceptional gift for music, her wry sense of humor, her fervent warmth of spirit, and
her desire to always put others' needs before hers. As a proud lefthander, Phyllis is
waving goodbye fondly to all the special family and friends she met along her life path,
left hand prominently held high. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.
A Memorial Service has been set for Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 11:00am at
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 30 Church Street, Rt 85 in Hebron, CT.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Phyllis S. (Smith) Meshanic, please visit our floral store.
Read More
On April 3, 2020, Phyllis Meshanic, of Columbia, passed away at her home, surrounded by her loved
ones, after a short but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer at age 87.
Phyllis was predeceased by her husband of 57 years, Robert Meshanic, PhD, whom
she nursed through a long struggle with Alzheimer’s, until he passed in 2013. She is
survived by her sons, Peter (Sarah), and Carl (Jackie), and grandchildren Jessie
Meshanic and Jackson, Carter and Hunter Meshanic, and her younger sister, Rachel
(Jerome) Brandt.
Phyllis was born on February 8, 1933, in Philadelphia, PA, to Mildred (Heppe) Smith
and John Franklin Smith. The daughter of a church organist, Phyllis studied and
excelled at organ, piano, and cello. She grew up on the Philadelphia Main Line where
she attended Lower Merion High School and played cello and accompanied the school
choirs.
A cum laude graduate of Wilson College, where she majored in mathematics and
music, Phyllis was employed by a pension actuarial firm while holding organist positions
at area churches. She met her husband during these college years on a blind date
arranged by her college roommate and best friend. Phyllis and Bob married on June
10, 1952.
Husband Bob held a series of college administrator positions, first at Temple and Drexel
Universities in Philadelphia, PA, and then moving on to posts on Long Island and
Oneonta, New York, and finally to Willimantic, Connecticut. Through these years,
Phyllis found friendships in each town, often through her part-time organist jobs, church
choir directorships, her activities as a program chair of several chapters of the American
Guild of Organists, and various sewing and bridge clubs, and sons and grandchildren’s
sports and extracurriculars. She earned her master’s in college and career counseling
at Central Connecticut State University in 1984.
Phyllis will be dearly missed by her family and many friends, who will fondly remember
her exceptional gift for music, her wry sense of humor, her fervent warmth of spirit, and
her desire to always put others' needs before hers. As a proud lefthander, Phyllis is
waving goodbye fondly to all the special family and friends she met along her life path,
left hand prominently held high. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.
A Memorial Service has been set for Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 11:00am at
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 30 Church Street, Rt 85 in Hebron, CT.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Phyllis S. (Smith) Meshanic, please visit our floral store.
Read More
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Phyllis S. (Smith) Meshanic, please visit our flower store.
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