William H. Smith

USN (Ret.) "Pat"

On May 13, 2013, Commander Smith died peacefully at the Belvoir Woods Health Care Center at The Fairfax in Fairfax County, Virginia. He was 103 years old. He had resided at The Fairfax for the past twelve years, having moved there from Washington state to be closer to family. Surviving are his son Gordon Smith, grandchildren Licia Smith-Leach, Krista Beenhouwer, and Matthew Smith, and eight great grandchildren. He was born in Abbeville, Georgia in 1909 and was the sixth of nine children. He enlisted in the US Navy as a seaman recruit in 1928 and rose quickly in rank during World War II, retiring as a Commander in 1958. He then joined the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington and worked there as a facility engineer for ten years. Upon final retirement he and his wife Anne (deceased) lived several years in eastern Washington near Yakima and then at Birch Bay in western Washington near the Canadian border. Funeral services with Full Military Honors will be held at the Ft Myer Memorial Chapel on August 15, 2013 at 1 p.m. with interment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery