William J. Smith

William J. Smith passed away, Tuesday April 6, 2010 at the age of 88 in Atlanta, GA. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 8th at 11:00 am at the Roswell Funeral Home, 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, GA 30076. Born in Orange, NJ on March 14, 1922 to Benjamin and Othelia Smith, Bill was raised in West Orange, NJ by his father and Gladys Graham Smith after the death of Othelia in 1934. He lived there until 1992 when he settled in Woodstock, GA. Bill attended West Orange High School and joined the United States Army after graduation, where he served as a Staff Sergeant stationed in Iceland during World War II. While there, he met his wife Kristin Mar Smith and married in Reykjavik, Iceland. They returned to New Jersey and enjoyed 64 years of wedded bliss. He worked as a sales manager for New Jersey Bell for 30 years before retiring. During his life, Bill was passionately involved in the Rotary Club International. He successfully started five Rotary International Clubs throughout New Jersey and consequently received five Paul Harris awards. Throughout the years, he held the positions of District Secretary, Parliamentarian, District Conference Secretary, District Affairs and committee member. He also served as President of the West Orange Rotary International Club and the President of the West Orange Mountain Club. An avid sports fan, Bill was also involved with the National Football Hall of Fame and an ardent New York Yankee enthusiast. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, stepmother, and three sisters. He is survived by his wife, Kristin; his son, William J. Smith Jr., married to Georgia M. Smith of San Clemente, CA; his two daughters, Joanne M. Todisco, married to William C. Todisco of Woodstock, GA, and Kristin M. McCreary, married to Kenneth R. McCreary of Allentown, PA; six grandchildren, Joseph, Erik, Christopher, Bryan, Erin, Kaitlyn; and two great-grandchildren, Addisyn and Connor. Memorial service will be Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 11am in the chapel of Roswell Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 1925 Century Blvd NE, Suite 10, Atlanta, GA 30345 in memory of William J. Smith or www.alz.org/georgia. Arrangements in the care of Roswell Funeral Home.