Catherine Patricia Smart

Catherine Patricia Pat' Smart, 87, of Solana Beach, California passed away at her family home on March 4, 2022. She was born to James and Mary Cotter in Brookline, Massachusetts on August 22, 1934.

The family was of modest means, as Pat's father passed away when she was three, and she was raised by her mother, grandmother, and two older sisters. It was a home filled with laughter.

She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Wheelock College in 1956. She began her career as an educator teaching first grade in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

In 1958 at the age of 24, Pat moved to Orleans, France, where she taught for nine years, having taken a teaching position with the U.S. Department of Defense. This was the beginning of a lifetime of travel, professional accomplishments, and rich cultural experiences. It was in Orleans that she met her future husband, Robert (Bob) Smart and was married in 1961. Their son Joe was born the following year. The family lived in Germany, Brazil, and Venezuela with various stints in the United States.

After moving to Richmond, Virginia in 1975 and teaching first grade during Joe's high school years, Pat and Bob moved to Luxembourg, where they resided for the next 15 years.

Pat began working as a teacher at the American International School of Luxembourg when Bob took a position with NATO. After a brief time teaching, she was appointed to the position of Lower School Principal. The school had children and staff from 33 different countries. Pat thrived in this multicultural setting. She was a formidable, supportive and extremely hardworking principal. As one of her colleagues said, "She was an educator ahead of her time". She introduced an art program, proper music lessons and made the science curriculum more practical. She was both demanding and supportive of the teaching staff, and took particular interest in helping the younger teachers develop their craft. She developed the first lower school curriculum for the school's accreditation.

Not one to rest on her laurels, she received her Master of Education degree from Trenton State College during this time over her summer breaks. In 1990, she was asked to serve on the accreditation board for the Council of International Schools and traveled throughout Europe in this capacity. Her outstanding educational career spanned three decades.

In 1995, Bob and Pat retired to Solana Beach, CA to be close to Bob's family. She quickly became immersed in her newfound community. She served with distinction on the Solana Beach View Assessment committee. She was a volunteer coordinator for The American Lung Association of San Diego, served as Treasurer of the New Comer's Club of San Dieguito and co-chair of the local Widow and Widowers group. She also served as an officer on the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society.

In her free time, Pat enjoyed traveling with her family, gardening, supporting local theatre and arts, and was a competitive bridge player. Pat loved spending time with her grandchildren to whom she was known as Grandmere.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert W. Smart of Rancho Santa Fe; sisters, June Sullivan and Peg MacPhee. She is survived by her son Joe Smart, and daughterin-law, Anna Smart of Mclean Virginia, and three grandchildren Cotter, Sam and Owen Smart, as well as her nieces, Anne Rogers, Dianne Matheson and their children.

In lieu of flowers, please contribute to Scripps Health Foundation.

P.O. Box 2669, La Jolla, CA 92038. Call: 844-442-4483 (GIVE) scripps.org/memorialdonations