Katherine Merle-Smith, an artist, teacher, and humanitarian, died February 21, 2015 in Adamstown, MD. She was 92. After attending Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA, a school founded by her aunt Charlotte Haxall Noland, Mrs. Merle-Smith received her undergraduate degree from Maryland Institute College of Art. For a period during World War II she was the only woman in her drafting department at Bendix Radio. She married Richard Maddox Combs at West Point in 1943. They had met while she was teaching riding and art at Camp Marlin in Concord, NH. Shortly after the birth of their son, Richard Maddox Combs Jr., her husband was killed in the South Pacific. After the war she returned to Foxcroft to teach. She soon met Van S. Merle-Smith Jr., who was visiting his sister at the school. They fell in love and were married for 56 years. As a couple they worked in education for their entire married life, first at St. Paul's School, Concord, NH, then back at Foxcroft, and finally at Moravian Academy, Bethlehem, PA. Mrs. Merle-Smith's husband, Van, died in 2003. Several years later she married her long-time friend, Edward O. Thomas. She was widowed a third time in 2012. Throughout her life she was a passionate advocate for the disadvantaged, particularly women and children. Mrs. Merle-Smith served on the boards of Wiley House (now KidsPeace), the Allentown Art Museum, Moravian Academy, The Hill School, and Historic Bethlehem. She was first vice president of the National Council of Women and served as delegate to the United Nations and to International Council of Women conferences in Bangkok and Lima, Peru. She loved to travel and immerse herself and her family in other cultures. She relished the outdoors, riding, plein air painting, fly fishing, and hot dogs. Her son, Richard, died in 2012. She is survived by her other children: Van, Ted, Katie, Grosvenor, Barton, their spouses, her sister, Charlotte Weaver, also by fifteen grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her foster children: Normand, Peter, Tom, Nulsen, Tracy and their families. There will be a memorial service in her beloved Keene Valley, NY at a later date. Memorial Gifts: Moravian Academy, Bethlehem, PA and the Neighborhood House, Keene Valley, NY. Condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.keeneybasford.com
