Amherst, MA – Patricia Ellen Convery passed away peacefully on August 4, 2026, in Northampton, Massachusetts. She was born on August 14, 1946, to C. Harvey Convery and Jane Perry Convery. Pat grew up in Chatham, NJ, where she graduated from Chatham High School in 1964. She attended Springfield College in Massachusetts, where she majored in elementary education. She graduated early and married Porter Smith in December 1967. They continued to live in Massachusetts, where they had three children: Adam, Jeremy, and Eliza.
Pat taught at Swift River Elementary School in New Salem for 33 years and lived in Shutesbury until she moved to Amherst three years ago. Pat was a true friend to so many. She had a group of high school friends who would get together over the years. They called themselves the Rhattphynques. Pat would fly across the country to help if needed. When she was teaching at Swift River, she had a wonderful group of friends who would get together for breakfast, even after she retired. She also had her craft group, who would meet or Zoom regularly. She was an incredible sister who would put everything aside if a sister was in need. She was the type of person people could sit with and have a cup of tea, and somehow the world felt better. She had a grounding air about her. She had several health challenges throughout her life, and she met them with strength, determination, and dignity. Pat loved her children fiercely and was supportive and caring in all their endeavors.
Pat leaves behind three children, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and countless loved ones: her eldest son, Adam Smith, with his wife, Christa, and two granddaughters, Maggie and Ella; Pat’s second son, Jeremy Convery, with his children, Morgan and Taye, and grandchildren, Scarlett, Peyton, and Oliver; and her daughter, Eliza Smith, with her husband, Hesh Hipp. Pat also leaves behind her older sister, Perry Krakora; younger sister, Joanne Blaauboer; exchange sister, Sue Tilley Martens; and brother, Peter.
Pat was a lover of animals and plants. She had many dogs and cats over the course of her life, never neglected to feed the wild birds, and was a consummate gardener. Pat inherited a family cottage on Lake George in upstate New York, which became her favorite of all places. She would be there every spring and fall. Many wonderful gatherings happened within those walls.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made in Pat’s memory online to laldaware.org. This organization supports individuals and families affected by LAL-D, a condition that holds special meaning to the family, as Pat’s granddaughter is affected by the disease.
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