Priscilla Stuart Smith-Trudeau Hevey, 77 of Fletcher, Vermont passed away suddenly on October 23, 2025 with the love of her life, Gerard Hevey, at her side.
Born August 26, 1948 in Boston, MA she was the daughter of the late Henry Buckley Smith, Sr. and Annie Payson Provance Smith and the sister of the late Henry Buckley Smith, Jr. all of Rochester, MA.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Lisa McDaniel, of Arizona, her sister, Anne Payson Smith Holbrook, two nephews, James Payson Smith Holbrook and his wife Sarah Lafrinere Holbrook all of Rochester, MA and Matthew Christopher Smith of Wareham, MA. As well as three grand-nieces Stella V. Holbrook, Charlotte A. Holbrook, and Sloane L. Holbrook and a grand-nephew James Payson Smith Holbrook, Jr all of Rochester, MA.
As a child Priscilla grew up in Rochester, MA and attended Rochester Memorial School and the Old Rochester Regional High School. She is remembered by her classmates as happy and fun loving. She graduated in 1966 and went on to obtain her LPN and RN Certifications.
Priscilla and Gerard met while working on a nursing unit on the south coast of Massachusetts in 1989 and subsequently move to Vermont. They were married in Fletcher, Vermont on 23 August 2005. Together they built a life based on helping people in need and helping to improve their lives. As animal lovers they adopted and cared for many pets through the years that brought daily joy into their lives. She loved living on top of her mountain in Vermont and taking advantage of all the area had to offer, especially hiking the trails with her husband and enjoying nature.
She was employed at the University of Vermont Medical Center as a Rehabilitation Nurse in Burlington, Vermont. She retired in 2023.
Priscilla started her career as an LPN in the 1960’s and through the years attained the degrees of RN DC MSM BSN CRRN CCM HNB-BC. She was a graduate of Thomas Edison State College with a Masters in Management and Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of the State of New York. Her certifications included a Certification in Rehabilitation Nursing, a Certification in Holistic Nursing and a Certification in Conflict Resolution.
She was a Founder of the Women’s Rape Crisis Center in New Bedford, MA which was a precursor of the Women’s Center of New Bedford as it is known today. Originally a volunteer organization, it was established in the same year that Roe vs. Wade protected abortion rights. She was instrumental in the development of the Women’s Health Clinic as one of the Center’s premier programs and in 1983 was a vocal advocate for the Big Dan Rape victim traveling the country talking about what happened and what was needed to be done to protect women from abuse. Sadly, fifty years later the fight to prevent abuse is still being waged on a national level.
In 2001 she published a book “Peaceful Warrior Nurse. She reasoned that there were not “enough books written for nurses, by nurses and about nurses that enlighten, empower and encourage them to celebrate the diversity and spirit of nursing”. She wrote the book is about “living, loving, learning and leaving a nursing legacy.
Around the same time, she established her consulting firm “Wealth in Diversity Consulting” of which she was the Founder and President. She developed “A model for Creating and Sustaining Positive Change which acts as a framework for guiding organizational change as a vital resource leading to increased creativity, innovation and enhanced leader and team effectiveness.”
Her life was dedicated to developing a deep understanding about the strength of differences and an appreciation of shared humanness.
She will always be remembered by her family as a person who lived her dreams, cared for her grandmother and mother in their later years and encouraged her nephews to “live their dreams”.
Priscilla should be remembered not only for her love and dedication to nursing but also her love of animals and supporting animal rights groups.
Arrangements by A.W. Rich funeral home to leave a message of Condolence visit https://awrichfuneralhomes.com/
