Nancy S. Smith, Class of 1987

Submitted by Rose Cadden 86 <rosecadden@yahoo.com> on 09/Jul/2009
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       Nancy S. Smith of New Windsor, N. Y. a manager of Payor Contracting for the Greater Hudson Valley Health System at Horton Hospital, Middletown, passed away at her home Wednesday, December 5, 2001. She was 32. The daughter of Edward and Lenore Smith, she was born October 30, 1969. Nancy was a 1987 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy, a 1991 graduate of SUNY Oneonta and received her M.P.A. from Marist College in January 2001. She is survived and will be dearly missed by her loving family; parents Edward and Lenore Smith of New Windsor; sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Marc Stolfe of Wallkill; and nephew Adam Stolfe. A family statement read, "With her bright personality and sense of humor, Nancy was able to reach out and touch so many people in different ways. "Nancy had many friends and they all knew that they could count on her for anything. "Nancy was a caring, loving and devoted daughter and sister and an adoring aunt to Adam. Her bright eyes and smile will be missed but never forgotten." Friends may gather from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 12, at Coloni Funeral Home, Route 9W, New Windsor. The celebration of Nancy's life will be held at the funeral home December 12 at 8:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be sent to Horton Healthcare Foundation (the Nancy Smith Fund), c/o Horton Hospital, 60 Prospect Avenue, Middletown NY 10940l. If you wish to sign a guest book or require directions to Coloni Funeral Home please go to Legacy.com. Arrangements are under the direction of the Coloni Funeral Home, New Windsor.

New Windsor – Nancy Smith's co-workers at Horton Medical Center in Middletown mourned her death yesterday while police continued to hunt for her killer. An autopsy performed Tuesday by forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Sikirica at Cornwall Hospital ruled Smith's death a homicide. She had been stabbed to death. Smith, 32, apparently was killed in her Provost Drive home sometime Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, New Windsor Police Chief Walter Koury said yesterday. Her parents found her body Wednesday afternoon. They had gone there to check on her after learning she did not report for work, police said. Koury said Smith's death most likely was not a random act, because there was no sign of forced entry. Smith lived alone in the house. Nevertheless, New Windsor Town Supervisor George Meyers said he has authorized Koury to put extra uniformed patrols on all shifts until further notice. More than 20 investigators, including town and state police and members of the Orange County District Attorney's staff, are working on the case. For about the last three years, Smith worked in Horton's managed care office, negotiating contracts between the hospital and managed care companies. She also did some work for the Greater Hudson Valley Health System, an umbrella group that includes Horton, Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen, St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh, and Cornwall Hospital. Jay Wexler, Horton's vice president for managed care and Smith's supervisor, said her colleagues are in shock. Many attended a grief counseling session yesterday. "She was gregarious, open, bubbling, bright, a hard worker," Wexler said. "I believe it was just this past spring she got her master's in health administration at Marist College. The world was ahead of her. It's just a total shock. We're all stunned." Wexler said the hospital plans to establish some type of memorial for Smith that "captures her spirit appropriately." The details are still being worked out. Police are asking anyone with information about Smith's death to call 565-7000.
 

New Windsor — Someone brutally stabbed Nancy Smith to death in her New Windsor home. She was just 32 years old. Her killer has never been found. But her mom and dad, Lenore and Ed Smith, and her sister, Barbara Stolfe, still believe there will be justice for Nancy. They find hope in things like the newspaper clipping Lenore Smith holds up as she sits at her dining room table on this late November afternoon. It tells of a homicide elsewhere that was finally solved after 25 years. Someday, she's sure, a story will be written about Nancy's slaying being solved. "Someone will remember something," Lenore Smith said. "Something will come out eventually. Ed and I may not have 25 years. But we would like to know who (did it). And we would like to know why." So they continue to take out newspaper ads, with Nancy's picture and a police number to call. A $25,000 reward for information leading to the killer's arrest and prosecution, posted in 2003, still stands. And every time Lenore Smith hears about a new evidence test, she calls New Windsor police Detective William Ruger, the officer assigned to the case these days, to ask if it might help find who killed Nancy. The search for Nancy's killer is not the intense manhunt it was at the beginning, when 20 investigators were giving it their undivided attention, but police haven't forgotten it, either. Ruger said most work on the case lately involves reinterviewing witnesses, and following up the occasional tips that still come in. State police also help when needed. Smith's killing baffled her family, friends, co-workers and neighbors on Provost Drive, a quiet street not far from the town's busy Vails Gate commercial area. As far as anyone knew, she didn't have an enemy in the world. And she was the epitome of responsibility. She got her first job, delivering newspapers, at age 12, opened her first checking account at 14 and bought her own home at 25. She never let anybody in her house — not even her mom or dad — before knowing who was on the other side of the door. There was no sign of forced entry when her parents found her body on the afternoon of Dec. 5, 2001. They'd gone there after learning she hadn't shown up for work at what was then still known as Horton Medical Center in Middletown. Five years after that horrible day, Lenore Smith still gets tears in her eyes talking about her daughter. But even now Nancy still can bring a smile to her face, and to Ed's and Barbara's, too: They remember her uncanny ability to mimic people. Or how she was so lucky that once she found a $10 bill walking from her home to nearby ShopRite. Or how mortified she was when mom, a teacher, got transferred to Newburgh Free Academy when Nancy was a senior. "She would call me Mrs. Smith and all her friends called me Mom," Lenore Smith said. It's because Nancy's no longer around to make them smile that her family won't let her case become a cold one. It doesn't seem fair, they say, that the killer's still out there somewhere. "They're still enjoying their life," Stolfe said. "Or at least they still have one." Anyone with information should call New Windsor police at 565-7000. All calls will be kept confidential.
 

During the years 2006 and 2007, New Windsor Police Detectives, as well as members of the New York State Major Crimes Unit, continued to investigate the death of Nancy Smith who was found murdered in her New Windsor home on December 5, 2001. The investigative team has visited out of state locations and has conducted interviews and followed leads during the past years. Ms. Smith resided alone and was found to be the victim of a homicide. Through police investigation it was determined that Ms. Smith was murdered sometime in the evening hours of December 4, 2001. Ms. Smith’s murder is still an ongoing investigation and leads are followed up on a daily basis by members of the investigative teams. We ask that you take a good look at Ms. Nancy Smith, pictured above. If anyone has any information in regards to this investigation, they are asked to contact the New Windsor Police Department at (845) 565-7000. All calls will be kept strictly confidential.Ms. Smith was a daughter, sister, aunt and member of our community. We ask for your assistance in solving this crime. For information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person(s) responsible for the death of Nancy Smith

Replies to this post

• Re: Nancy S. Smith, Class of 1987 - Amy Flanagan-Cohen 25/Feb/2012
• Re: Nancy S. Smith, Class of 1987 - Moya "Deery" Chappell 18/Dec/2011