William Henry Smith Jr.

On the morning of Tuesday, June 7, 2022, Dr. William Henry Smith, Jr. died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes at the Ben Atchley Veteran’s nursing home in Knoxville, TN. He was just shy of his 80th birthday. Dr. Smith, Bill, was born in Spartanburg, SC on July 22, 1942. He was raised in Thomasville, NC, along with his brother, Lyle, by his parents William Henry Smith, Sr., and Catharine (Lyle) Smith. The brothers were fondly known as Billy and Butch by family and friends. He is survived by his children, Erik Anthony Smith of Bluffton, SC, Kathryn DeLacy Vinson (Chris) of Knoxville, TN, and Joseph Henry Smith, also of Knoxville, TN. He is also survived by his granddaughters, Savanna Smith, Ella Kate Vinson, and Amelia Vinson.

Dr. Smith was a well-decorated academic as well as a retired Major in the United State Marine Corps. Bill attended Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and during his summer breaks he completed the Platoon Leadership Course at Quantico, VA. In 1964 he graduated from Emory as a Marine 2nd Lieutenant with an undergraduate degree in English. He remained at Emory to complete a Master’s degree in Humanities in 1965. He was selected for the US Military Intelligence program and trained with the Army 2nd Airwing G2 before joining the Marine Aircraft Group 14. He served active duty as an Intelligence Officer in Vietnam and was promoted to Captain while there.

After the war, he went on to receive a Master’s degree in French from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Georgia, and a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, also from UGA. He spent the majority of his professional career as a professor of English at Piedmont College in Demorest, GA. In addition to his many academic and military accolades, he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Mensa, and Who’s Who, and was fluent in multiple languages.

In 1975 he married May DeLacy (Jessup) Smith of Gainesville, GA, and they had two children, Kathryn and Joseph. They remained together until her passing in 2014. He is also preceded in death by his first wife, Patricia Mercedes Alvarez, of High Point, NC, with whom he had one child, Erik.

As a kid, Billy loved spending his summers at his grandparents' homestead in Due West, SC. He told many stories of riding the tractor and plowing fields with his grandfather and hunting rabbits with his cousins. As an adult, he loved playing the guitar, woodworking, and camping. He was an avid dog lover and had a special place in his heart for Zibitz, the dog he adopted while stationed at Cherry Point, NC. He loved the music of Willie Nelson, Peter Paul and Mary, Gamble Rogers, and other country and folk artists. An Eagle Scout himself, he served as a leader of Jody’s Boy Scout troop.

He took his kids on countless camping and beach trips and to Atlanta Braves games. He was also a devoted Georgia Bulldog fan, mostly due to the play-by-play commentary of the legendary Larry Munson. Dad refused to watch either the Braves or the Bulldogs on TV. He would much rather listen to the radio announcers who offered a more vivid picture than the TV ever could.

Above all, he loved his children and grandchildren. Nothing made him happier than watching them grow, hearing about their accomplishments, and being entertained by the silly antics of his granddaughters. Family meant more to him than anything. In his later years, as his health declined, visits from his family became the highlight of his days.

A service with military funeral honors will be held at Berry Highland Memorial in Knoxville, TN, at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.berryhighlandmemorial.com for the Smith family.