Frances E. “Fran” Smith, a medical assistant and philanthropist recalled as a much-loved family matriarch, died of pancreatic cancer March 31 at her Hunt Valley home. She was 73.

Mrs. Smith had been a Greater Baltimore Medical Center medical assistant and worked in its Department of Gynecology with doctors James Dorsey, Francis Bing Grumbine and Theodore Baramki.

“She was loved by patients and doctors alike,” said a family obituary. “She prided herself on remembering each patient’s life stories and upcoming milestones, as she liked to make them comfortable at their appointments.”

Dr. Claire M. Weitz, an obstetrician-gynecologist and friend, recalled Mrs. Smith as “selfless, humble, friendly yet a private person.”

“She had a keen sense about people. She was a generous and giving person who shied away from public recognition,” Dr. Weitz said. “She loved working with those patients. She would talk with them, hold their hands and do all she could to make them feel like a person, not just a ‘cancer’ or ‘infertility’ patient. She remembered her time there fondly. She had many special gifts.”

Born Frances Williams in Baltimore and raised in Menlo Drive in Pimlico, she attended Pimlico Junior High School and Dulaney High School in Cockeysville. As a young woman she worked in catering and established her own limousine service before entering the medical field.

In an obituary composed by her children, Mrs. Smith was described as “a bright light who was loved by all.” It said she made it a point to acquaint herself with those she met and that her favorite pastime was sitting on her front porch and reading a good book. She was not much of a traveler but enjoyed time at her beach and lake homes “where she watched the world go by.”

Family members said she was “quick witted and deeply perceptive, fiercely loyal, had a wonderful sense of humor and was exceedingly generous.”

They described her as a “very devoted wife. Not a night went by where she didn’t prepare a family meal. Her most proud accomplishment was her family, and she was their biggest supporter. The last 35 years of her life were focused on her husband and children. They said she ‘was magic to us all.’ ”

She taught herself to paint and loved flowers as her subject matter.

After her 1987 marriage to J. Duncan Smith, a Sinclair Broadcast Group executive, she became active in medical and educational charities.

She was a Roland Park Country School board member for two periods beginning in 1997 and chaired its enrollment, financial assistance, executive and buildings and grounds committees.

She was also a board member and benefactor to Gilchrist Cares.

“Fran had a larger-than-life personality. She was a strong minded, passionate person, dedicated to many organizations across our community. Her dedication to Gilchrist lasted well beyond her tenure as a member of the Board of Directors from 2000-2006,” said Shannon Wollman, a Gilchrist executive.

“She was a philanthropic partner who led her family’s charitable giving to many worthy causes. Within Gilchrist, her generous support of our Gilchrist Kids Pediatric Hospice program exemplified her kind heart and commitment to children’s health and welfare.”

Mrs. Smith also sat on the board of The High Rock Foundation Charitable Trust based in Cockeysville.

A family friend, Dyson P. Ehrhardt, said, “Fran was the ultimate hostess, especially at Christmas. I have some of my favorite memories of her at that time of the year.”

A Memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, 100 Church Lane in Cockeysville.

Survivors include her husband of nearly 38 years, J. Duncan Smith; four daughters, Amy Anderson, of Reisterstown, Megan Carroll, of Hampstead, Emily McCoy, of Ruxton, and Carolyn White, of Hunt Valley; a son, Grant Smith, of West Virginia; two brothers, Eugene Williams, of Lewes, Delaware, and Lawrence Williams, of Stevensville; two sisters, Jeannie Foster, of Ocala, Florida, and Madeline Kohler of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; and numerous grandchildren.

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