William Lee (Bill) Smith's Obituary
William Smith Obituary
William Lee (Bill) SmithWilliam (Bill) Smith, 89, passed away after a brief illness on December 16, 2017 at Welcome Nursing Home, Oberlin, Ohio. Bill was born November 15, 1928 in Oberlin.Known for his pioneering and adventurous spirit Bill loved nature and outdoor activities. He was a 1946 graduate of Oberlin High School and a 1951 graduate of Bowling Green State University where he was among the first class of BGSU’s new major of Geology. Bill used his BS degree working for oil drilling companies in Southern states and the Gulf of Mexico, returning to Oberlin in 1953 and settled on the ancestral farm of his great-great grandparents Peter and Eliza Waite McRoberts. Bill remodeled the original 1834 farmhouse and lived there with his family until he dug a four-acre lake in a valley on the property and built a house overlooking it. He worked for Oberlin Light Plant and the former Gilford Instruments in production control, retiring from Milford Rivet in Elyria. During retirement he tree farmed by converting farm land to raising hardwoods and pine. Bill later harvested, milled and hauled lumber to Lake Tahoe, NV where he designed and built a house there. Bill caught the travel bug at age 74 and loved to share his experiences of sightseeing in the US, exploring the entire Lewis and Clark Trail, climbing Machu Picchu and swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon River.Left to remember Bill’s life and spirit are children Barbara Smith Marshall (Dennis) Keplinger of Lorain, OH; Stanley A. Smith (Margaret Campbell) of Bolton, MA; Lynn M. Smith (Craig) Youngblood of Wellington, OH; and Allen L. Smith, Tucson, AZ; stepsons Ralph (Alice) Brumby of Huron, OH and Bud (Karen) Brumby of Norwalk, OH; grandchildren Jennifer Smith (Ben) Courson of Oberlin; Kendra G. Marshall of Columbus, GA; K. Ryan (Heather) Marshall of Midland, GA; Bradley (Jessica) Smith of Hollis, NH; T.C. Youngblood of Wellington, OH; Jacqui Brumby (Chris) DeVinney of Berlin Heights, OH; Colin Smith Campbell of Bolton, MA; and Jessica Smith Campbell of Los Angeles, CA. Bill will also be missed by six great-grandchildren, one great-great grandson, cousins, nieces, nephews and special friend and traveling companion Barbara Rice, St. Petersburg, FL.Bill was preceded in death by first wife Joyce Powers Smith in 1974, second wife Leota Brumby Smith in 2005, grandson Benjamin Smith, brother Dr. Stanley W. Smith and parents H. Wallace and Genena Edmonds Smith.A family celebration of life will be held at a later date at the Camden Cemetery. Arrangements were in the care of Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Elyria. Memorial contributions in Bill’s memory may be made to Mercy New Life Hospice, 3500 Kolbe Road, Lorain, OH 44053 or Pittsfield Township Historical Society, P.O. Box 324, Wellington, OH 44090. For online condolences visit dickenfuneralhome.com
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