FALMOUTH — Shirley Smith, a co-founder of the Spurwink School, died Saturday after a long period of declining health. She was 89.

She founded Spurwink in 1960 with her husband, the late Richard Smith, who was a licensed social worker in Portland.

The program began in a four-bedroom farmhouse on Riverside Street that housed eight boys. He was the program director and teacher. She was Spurwink’s secretary, handling everything from bookkeeping and scheduling to counseling.

Her daughter, Vana Carmona of Portland, said Mrs. Smith was instrumental in keeping Spurwink financially sustainable in its early years. She said her mother’s strength was bookkeeping, and ironing out the details of Spurwink’s day-to-day operations.

“She was a pro at that stuff,” her daughter said. “That woman could organize, let me tell you. If it hadn’t been for my mother, we believe (Spurwink) wouldn’t have survived. … Dad was the guy who could dream up the most amazing things and make it happen. She was the nuts and bolts. She could get blood from a turnip.”

The Smiths were married for 22 years and raised two children. They divorced in 1970, but they continued to work together at Spurwink until Mrs. Smith retired in 1978. She then moved to Scarborough.

Her daughter said Monday that Mrs. Smith was an accomplished seamstress who also enjoyed cooking, baking, gardening and maintaining her home. She said her mother enjoyed being a homemaker.

“Whatever came her way, she would handle it,” Carmona said. “She always did the best she could to make the most of a situation.”

Mrs. Smith suffered with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for several years. Her health deteriorated in the fall of 2010, when she began having seizures, her daughter said. Six months later, she was moved to a full-care nursing facility.

“I’m relieved that she’s in a much better place,” her daughter said Monday. “I’ve missed our frequent conversations. We used to talk a lot.”

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at: mcreamer@pressherald.com