Antoinette "Toni" Smith

Antoinette “Toni” Smith, 94, of Oakdale,  entered eternal life on April 13, 2026 in the company of her loving family. She was born on June 12, 1931 in New London. Toni was the daughter of Arthur Falconi of Rome, Italy and Grace Marie (Farina) Falconi of Caserta, Italy. She grew up in an Italian neighborhood in New London. Toni attended local schools and graduated from the former William’s Memorial Institute. On October 29, 1949 she married her high school sweetheart Robert C. Smith at St. Joseph’s Church. Bob, her husband of 66 years, passed away on January 14, 2016. Toni worked as a bookkeeper for local restaurants; the last one being the former Poor Richards in Waterford. She had a wide range of interests. She loved reading and was an active member of a neighborhood book club. Her home featured tall bookshelves filled with a variety of genres, including mysteries and celebrity biographies.Toni had a natural green thumb and cherished receiving flowers. She took great pride in maintaining beautiful gardens in her front yard and keeping fresh florals throughout her home. She especially loved growing orchids. In addition to reading and gardening, Toni enjoyed traveling both within the United States and also abroad, such as trips to Paris, London, and Italy. Her favorite vacations were the annual trips to the Cape she took with her family. Toni was a HUGE fan of UCONN basketball. She knew the names of all the players faithfully watching every game. Although she loved watching Uconn games, her greatest enjoyment in life was spending time with her family. Antoinette is survived by four children: Kathleen Stern (Lee) of Niantic; Robert C. Smith II (Jennifer) of East Lyme; Stephanie Smith (Bill Timmerman) of New York; and Diane Simoneau (Peter) of Ledyard; a brother, Leroy Falconi (Mariese) of Quaker Hill; and seven grandchildren: Ryan Levine, Evan Levine, Matthew Stern, Ashley Morgan, Brianna Smith, Christopher Morgan, Aaron Smith, along with five great grandchildren. Toni was predeceased by a granddaughter, Alexis Cohen, and four siblings: Virginia Weigel; Robert Falconi; Marilyn Kovach; and Kenneth Falconi. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 11:00 AM at St. Joseph’s Church, 149 Montauk Avenue, New London, followed by entombment at St. Mary’s Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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