William L. Smith

William L. Smith passed away on November 8, 2023, at Mobile Infirmary at the age of 74 after battling cancer. He was born in Arab, Alabama, and attended Union Hill High School in Morgan City, Alabama. He received his Bachelors in Science from the University of Alabama and met his wife, Elinor, when she was painting the waterfalls at Lynn Dam in Huntsville.

William and Elinor married, and then settled in Mobile when William began work at the Alabama State Health Laboratory. At the lab, William became an expert in plankton identification and occasionally taught classes at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. He retired as director of the Mobile branch lab after 40 years of service there. He has always been an avid lover of science and enjoyed teaching his daughters and grandchildren about the wonders of the natural world. William had a passion for reading, history, gardening, collecting rocks and fossils, and in his youth, collecting arrowheads. William was also an active member at Spring Hill Baptist Church, where he regularly taught Sunday school.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Elinor Smith; two daughters, Rebecca Serrell and Brenda Houyoux; and three grandchildren, Bradley, Aurora, and Phoebe. William was a gentle and thoughtful man whose greatest joy was to brighten someone else’s day through a joke or a kind act. His service will be held at Pine Crest Funeral Home in Mobile on Sunday, November 19. Visitation will begin at 2:00, followed by the memorial service at 3:00. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be sent to Child Advocacy Center of Mobile, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or Wilmer Hall Children’s Home.