William J Smith, Sr.

Mr. Smith was born and raised in Concord. He lived in Great Kills for 36 years, before relocating to Jackson in 2006.

He graduated from New Dorp High School in 1962, and had played baseball and football for the legendary coach Sal Somma.

Mr. Smith attended the former Staten Island Community College and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Baruch College, Manhattan.

He worked as an administrator for 20 years at the NYPD in Manhattan and on the Island. He then started his own business, WJS Landscaping in Great Kills, which he operated for 18 years, retiring in 2006.

Mr. Smith coached for the Great Kills Little League and also coached intramural soccer and basketball at St. Clare's School.

A sports enthusiast, he enjoyed watching baseball and rooted for the Mets. In addition, he was a fan of the former New York Giants baseball team and was thrilled to meet his boyhood idol, Willie Mays, in the early 1980s.

Mr. Smith liked to play golf and bowl. He also enjoyed traveling to places includingt Aruba, the Caribbean and his winter home in Pompano Beach, Fla.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, the former Patricia Lonergan; his sons, Joseph and William Jr.; his daughter, Kelly Anne Cantone; his sister, Catherine Tuite, and four grandchildren.

The funeral service will be Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in St. Alban's Church, Great Kills. Burial will follow in Ocean View Cemetery, Oakwood. Arrangements are being handled by the Casey McCallum-Rice South Shore Funeral Home, also Great Kills.