Willie Ray Smith

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 28 from 10:00 AM until time of service at 1:00 PM at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N Cemetery Rd in Gurnee, IL with interment to follow at Ascension Catholic Cemetery, 1920 Buckley Road in Libertyville, IL.

Willie was born on June 3, 1946 in Itawamba County, Mississippi to Willie Cluster and Altie (nee Kent) Smith. The Smith family moved to Round Lake when Willie was still a young boy. Willie attended Round Lake High School, after which he proudly served his country for four years in the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

When Willie returned from his time in the Army, he began working for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He started as a Correctional Officer and, throughout his 32 years on the ‘force, took great pride in working his way up the ranks to Undersheriff.

It was during his time as an Investigations Officer that he met the love of his life, Haidee (nee Vazquez). The two married on July 2, 1988 and shared 38 years of laughter, love, and adventure.

Willie was a life-long car lover. Growing up in the heyday of muscle cars and racing, he learned how to rebuild cars and fix mechanical issues, passing this skill, and love of automobiles, on to his sons. His pride and joy within his car collection was his pristinely maintained 1967 Camaro. If he and Haidee weren’t attending a Cruise Night or car show, Willie could be found riding his Harley in his younger years or taking out his boat to relax and fish or hunt during downtime from work.

Family meant everything to Willie. He took so much pride in his children and was someone they could count on if they needed anything. He was a stern but fair man who was incredibly caring and loving. He believed that life needed laughter and enjoyed being a jokester.

His love, quick wit, and brilliance will be missed and cherished by all who were so fortunate to know him.

He is survived by his wife, Haidee; sons Tracy (Chris) Rubo, Willie (Coleen) Smith, Frankie (Caity) Smith, and Jonny Smith; grandchildren Kevin, Kayla, Amanda, Greg, Danielle, Allison, Liam, Ireland, and granddog Jessa; Siblings Al Smith, Nellie Hendrix, and half-brother Carl Kent, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and family members.

Willie was preceded by his parents, son Jerry Smith, and sister Shirley Beyer.