William Smith Obituary

William "Bill" Smith

Mar 5, 1930 - May 16, 2023

Glendale, AZ

William "Bill" Smith passed away peacefully Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at his home in Arizona surrounded by his family.

He was born March 5, 1930, in Margaretta Township, Erie County, to William Rudolph Smith and Edrie Etta Saul Smith, three years after his sister, Gloria. He grew up surrounded by his parents' large extended families and stayed close with several of his cousins, including Jim Hurst and Barb Nielsen. He was proud of helping his father and uncles on many masonry and construction jobs and being around skilled craftsmen undoubtedly helped foster his passion for woodworking, which he finally had time to pursue in his retirement with his son.

He graduated in 1948 from Sandusky High where he earned letters in track, swim, and football. He was a member of the 1946-47 state championship swim team and won several other state awards. He also won the coveted Scholar/Athlete Award his senior year. In 2001, as recognition of his athletic accomplishments, he was inducted into the Sandusky High School Hall of Fame.

Bill earned his undergraduate degree at Ohio Wesleyan University in 1952, after which he attended Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, becoming an orthopedic surgeon in 1956. He returned back to his hometown to open a private practice in an old house downtown that he remodeled as a medical office. It was in Sandusky that the family became best friends with Edith and John Biechele and their three daughters. Bill moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1970 and co-founded The Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, a pioneering state-of-the-art medical facility combining orthopedic care, sports medicine, and advanced physical therapy.

Family was always Bill's most important priority. He married his first wife, Marlene Semmons, while studying at medical school and together they had three children, Janene, William S., and Christine. After his divorce in 1981, he remarried in 1987 to Margaret Bliss and enjoyed 21 years together until her death in 2008.

He spent the last 10 years living independently in his own casita on his son's property. He loved being an integral part of the family with Bill, his wife Beth, his two youngest grandchildren, Madeline and Aaron, and his dog, Angus. He watched Maddie and Aaron grow up, swim competitively as he had, and graduate from ASU and high school this year. On the homestead, he loved to star gaze, go on neighborhood scooter rides, and watch the chickens and goats play. He enjoyed going shopping and just getting out to see the town grow. He loved eating ice cream, chile rellenos, and cake with lots of frosting! The grandkids got to share some special traditions with him that they will always cherish.

He also loved traveling to visit his daughters and their families. He spent many happy days watching lacrosse games, flower shopping at nurseries, frequenting hardware stores, and eating at Asian noodle restaurants near Santa Monica, California with Chris and her two sons, Erik and Ethan Lind. He loved the Pacific Northwest and traveling to Lake Oswego, Oregon, and the Hood Canal, Washington, to spend time with his daughter, Jan, her husband Rick, and their three boys, Ryan, Matthew and Trevor Johnson. In addition to all the lacrosse games, he loved shucking and eating raw oysters and watching the birds and boats on the water.

His family and friends will miss him dearly. May he rest in peace.

A celebration of life will be later this year in the Sandusky area.

For condolences, please see https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/phoenix-az/william-smith-11312622.