The community of Hanover is mourning the sudden death of 35-year-old Melissa “Missy” Smoot. A woman with a warm heart, who was cheerful and kind.
The news of her demise is shocking to her family, coworkers, and friends as they try to wrap their minds around the death of someone described as “pure light.”
Missy built her life and career in Hanover, though she was born in Maryland. She was a devoted physical therapist at UPMC Hanover.
Her patients celebrated her soft approach, how she put them at ease, and made them feel seen and valued.
People who knew her say her personality shone through in the way she supported others, even outside the clinic.
One friend from middle school, who had been through thick and thin with Missy, said she was her “ride or die”.
Missy was a good listener, always there with a smile or a joke. “Her energy would light up a room,” Her friend wrote, “She never wanted anyone to feel alone. She always showed up.”
She was a doting mother who talked proudly about her sons. She put her love for her children in the center of everything she did.
Missy’s abrupt death shattered the community, but her legacy of compassion, consistent devotion, and happiness lives on in those she imparted.
