Phyllis S. (Smith) Meshanic

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.

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