DOVER - Deedra Ayn Benson, 60, of Dover, NH, passed away unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm on July 2, 2026 at Mass General Hospital in Boston, MA.
Deedra was born on April 30, 1966 in Portsmouth, NH, the first child of Ronald M Benson and Janet (Gagne) Benson. She lived her whole life in the Dover area. She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School and went on to get her BA in Education from Connecticut College. Deedra taught for many years at Barrington Elementary. She later received her Master’s in Speech Pathology from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professionals and worked at Nashua and Exeter High school. She was a devoted Mother to her only child, Martin F Smith IV, and lived a life of unwavering love and support for her husband, family and friends.
She is survived by her husband, Martin F. Smith III and son Martin F. Smith IV; her sisters Christine Yost, Lya Schulz and Nichole Thibodeau; and nieces and nephews Zachary, Catherine, Sarah, Lilliana, Jarrod, Margaret, Owen and Liam and her great niece Eleanor and great nephew Everett. As well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents Ronald and Janet.