William Thompson Smith III

For those who were fortunate enough to remember him echo those words, you were loved by the notorious William Thompson Smith III.

Born July 3rd, 1950, in Springfield, Ohio, Bill grew up the way he passed; surrounded by people from all walks of life, cultures, religions, statuses, and with absolutely no judgement, just love.

Regardless of who you were, Bill was always one to voice his opinions, whether you asked for it or not. He spoke with heart, intent, and genuine concern.

It didn’t matter if you were a mechanic, the mayor, the nanny, a business partner, the fish tank guy, or the hospice aide, whose sole job was to ensure you had enough diapers and wipes for the coming week, he treated and cared for everyone as equals.

When Bill learned of his Cancer, his first thought was, “How do I leave this world with enough business for ECC to continue for years on end?” That was Bill Smith. The ever courageous, tough, and smart businessman. Even in his passing, Bill was a man of his word.

“Not a Problem” he always proclaimed. It would be later in our years of trying to understand Bill, that this remark meant that he didn’t know the answer at the time, but what he did know was that there’s always a way.

And finally, the words that we would hear day in and day out, the remark that was easily ignored, but also could easily stop you in your tracks, “Unbelievable.”

The closer to the end, the more we heard it. “Unbelievable”.

His life was truly unbelievable. It was unbelievable how someone could have traveled the places he’s been, met the people he’s seen (including Clint Eastwood on a plane), laughed where there was sadness, and cried when there was happiness. Bill lived his life and he lived it with conviction.

When Bill learned that he may never walk again, he did what anyone would do. Try to prove themselves wrong. Bill never backed down from a challenge. However, if you change the way you cooked his food, he will remove you from this world.

William Thompson Smith III truly was the “best delegator who has ever lived”, and in doing so with compassion, he engineered his life in a way where he knew before any of us what would happen before it did. This is factoring in his final days when he knew he had to put his trust into someone, when he never thought he could.

I was given the baton to Bill’s final stretch of life. I, along with my wife Linda, our two boys, Greyson, and Parker, lived alongside Bill’s life the past 2 years. He has taught us how to be better business partners, spouses, parents, friends, and ultimately, better people.

I want to thank everyone for being there for Bill. He never spoke of what made him happy, but we knew what it was. It was being remembered.

Bill, it has been an honor.