Edna W. Smith

Edna W. Smith (Bridges) went home to Glory, January 28, 2025 after a battle with her declining health during her stay at The Life Care Center in Auburn, MA.

Edna was the oldest child of 6, born in Atlanta, Georgia, February 1,1937, to the late James and Virgie Bridges. Her father’s job as a Pullman Porter brought the family to Boston, MA where she attended Boston public schools early on and eventually attended Brighton High School where she always excelled and in fact, was quite proud of her straight “A” record all through school. Edna became a Registered Nurse and later in her career she received her Masters Degree in Public Health. While she enjoyed clinical nursing, Community and Public Health nursing was near and dear to her heart. 

Early in her youth she became very active at Christ Temple Church in Roxbury and eventually committed her life to serving the Lord at age 11. She leaned heavily on her faith throughout her life including in her marriage to the love of her life, Podiatrist, Dr. Phillip Smith.  She had always longed to be a wife and a mother and was happy she and Phil were able to raise three God-centered children. Edna and Phil married in 1958. This union was blessed by God for 65 years, until Phil's passing in August, 2024..

She supported her husband in the initial years by joining him in Chicago while he completed Podiatry School.They returned to the Boston area with two young children where she assisted Phil in starting his practice in Dorchester, MA. Focused on ensuring that their three children have access to the best education, they moved to the suburbs of Boston. Edna advocated for equality in the elementary schools that her children attended, when there was no justification for placing them in lower reading classes or there was less than a challenging curriculum. Eventually, all three children were transferred to competitive private schools in the area where she also used her knowledge and expertise serving on the Nobles and Greenough School board of Trustees.

Edna was always eager to hear anything having to do with her children, grandchildren, and great-grands. No matter what was happening with them, she wanted to be involved or present. She was so proud of them. In fact, every opportunity that she had to pull out the photos and talk (at length) about her family, she did with great joy and excitement, regardless of who was listening. Very often, she was at their games, plays, recitals, and other activities, in the stands rooting for them. In more recent years, she found such pleasure in their visits, hugging on them and introducing them to everyone she knew. Edna frequently looked at her family photos and would say, “We have such a beautiful family”. 

She and Phil, enjoyed annual family vacations, particularly in Vermont, Atlantic City or down the Cape. Throughout the childhood of their three children they encouraged their children to try new things and explore unfamiliar spaces or activities. Fishing trips, camping, horseback riding, beach trips, bike and moped rides on the Atlantic City Board Walk or along the streets of Martha’s Vineyard were just a few of the activities. Every Wednesday evening was the family dinner outing (at Howard Johnson’s), which Edna often would encourage the kids' friends to join. She would spend hours assisting any of the grands with their school research papers, their applications to colleges, and any other support they might need in the writing department (she left the math to Phil).  For years, Edna traveled to attend sports competitions in support of the children and grandchildren.

In keeping with the legacy of the extended family, Edna made sure that if there was an occasion to be celebrated it was never forgotten. Selecting that special greeting card that truly resonated with how she felt was so important to her. Holidays were major events and as the matriarch of the family, she insisted on and enjoyed preparing meals and entertaining. She was thrilled to see the smile on the faces of her children and grands when she took time to select that particular gift that they wanted. In fact, both Edna and Phil were as excited as their children when it came to celebrating holidays. There may have been plenty of noise but there was laughter and love expressed throughout.

Recognizing the disparities in healthcare, Edna was determined to be a voice and advocate for the most under served and under resourced communities. She began fighting for family planning services in the early 1970’s. After stepping out on faith, Edna wrote one of the largest and most compelling federal grants to start the Boston Family Planning Project—the Commonwealth’s first federally funded family planning project that provided counseling services, which had not yet been available in New England. In 1972, she founded and ran the Mattapan Community Health Center after successfully organizing the community support and appealing to the appropriate legislators in a time when there was tremendous resistance.

During those years, she still found time to provide health/sex education in public junior and high schools and for community centers in the Greater Boston area and beyond. In addition, Edna provided Consultation to Community Advocates in San Juan, Puerto Rico, assisting them to develop their own Community Health services in the most economically deprived neighborhoods. Edna invested 4 decades focused predominantly on the health of women and girls. Her career in healthcare included positions such as, a Public Health Clinician, a Mental Health Nurse Specialist, A Hospital Community Relations Specialist, the Admissions Director for Carney Hospital in Dorchester, Charge Nurse for the Leonard Morse Hospital Telemetry Floor in Natick, as well as the Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Then at the turn of the millennium, she devoted her talents—not to mention her endless energy—to volunteer efforts to achieve gender and health equity in the MetroWest region. Edna always assumed leadership roles such as Chairing the Metro West’s Work Group for Racial Disparities for 15 years and later Chaired the MetroWest Health Foundation Board of Directors for 20 years, and Chaired the Community Health Network Area (CHNA 7), which served 22 municipalities in Metro West. Long before "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” became buzzwords, she led the region to focus on health equity, always saying that, “Without health equity, community health is not achievable.”

Likewise, recognizing that there wasn’t enough diversity in the schools and in the faith community in the Metro West area at the time, she and Phil, along with other members of a small group,sought to establish the Greater Framingham Community Church in 1972, bringing together many families of color from the surrounding towns to support Christian Education, understanding the word and our heritage. It was not long before Edna was the Chair of the Church Council, on the Health Ministry team and in collaboration with Framingham State University she developed after school tutoring programs for middle school-aged students to prepare for MCAS, and later community programs for youth struggling with obesity. She loved the church music ministry, sang on the Praise Team as well as other GFCC choirs (including the Mass Choir, the Women’s choir, and the Gospel choir) and when she was not singing, she could always be found, with Phil, front and center in the third row of the church (which they thought were “their” seats).

Edna endured many illnesses and chronic diseases throughout her adult life. As challenging or life threatening as they may have been, she stood on her faith and expected God to get her through whatever the challenge was that she was facing. And sure enough, like the ever ready bunny, she never let it stop her. She felt that she was called to care about and for others and that God would see her through coma’s, accidents, and other serious health issues. 

In addition to her love of God, her church, and family, she loved bringing strangers to know God; entertaining at home, shopping; traveling, especially with her husband and children.  Edna especially enjoyed family gatherings with her extended family.

Edna leaves behind her children: Kimberly D. Tatum (Henry Tatum), Phillip F. Smith, Jr. (Sylvia Smith), Eric R. Smith (Ivannia Smith), grandchildren: Corey L. Cofield (Krystal Cofield), Dominique A. Bargaineer (Gerald Bargaineer II), Remington “Remy” A. Cofield (Tori Cofield), Baylee A. Smith, John Rudolph “JR” Smith (Maddison “Maddie” Smith, McKayla E. Campbell (Adrian Campbell), and Colby J. Smith, Goddaughter: Janice Carter (Leon Carter), ten great-grandchildren, sisters: Helen Williams, Norma Lawrence (Earl Lawrence), Barbara Robinson, brothers: Ronald Bridges (Ina Bridges), and James Bridges, Jr, and a host of other family members and friends. She was predeceased by her father, James Bridges, Sr., and mother, Virgie Bridges.

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