Cynthia Scovell, 72; active in education, youth services

A memorial service is planned today for Cynthia (Cohn) Scovell of Waltham, former chairwoman of the Massachusetts Advisory Board to the Division of Youth Services and of the Board of Trustees of the Gifford School in Weston.

Mrs. Scovell died of pancreatic cancer Friday at her home. She was 72.

Mrs. Scovell was born in Fall River and grew up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. She attended The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and received her bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from Boston University in 1953.

She married Melvin Scovell in 1952, and they lived in Newton for 30 years before moving to Waltham.

After raising her five children, she went to work for the Department of Youth Services during the 1970s and 1980s, traveling to juvenile facilities all over the state.

For more than 20 years at the Gifford School, a private, nonprofit school for special needs children, she was a frequent visitor to classrooms and an adviser to both teachers and students.

"She made strangers feel like friends and friends feel like family," said her daughter Julie Kaufman, of Wayland.

Mrs. Scovell was a fan of the New England Conservatory of Music and an active participant in the conservatory's student mentor program.

"She encouraged our pursuits," said her daughter Nell, of Santa Monica, Calif. "She taught us to be independent, but always welcomed us home."

In addition to her husband and daughters, she leaves a son, Ted of New York City; two other daughters, Alice Coleman of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Claire LaZebnik of Pacific Palisades, Calif.; a sister, Grace Hirsh of West Covina, Calif.; and 12 grandchildren.

The memorial service is scheduled today at 3:30 p.m. at Levine Chapels in Brookline. Burial will be private.