Lt. Col. William R. Smith (Bill) was born March 23, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri to Robert Smith and Rosa Ullrich Smith.  Bill passed on to his eternal home in the presence of his wife and family on Sunday Feb. 12, 2023 at his home in Mission Viejo.  It was just two hours after the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII.

Bill spent his early years in Little Rock, Arkansas before moving to CA for a time.  His family moved back to Hot Springs, Arkansas where he finished high school.  Bill then joined the United States Marine Corps rising from Private to Lt. Col. He became a jet and also helicopter pilot.  His 25 years in the military included various deployments and two tours in VietNam.

Bill met the love of his life Jeanne Morrow Shanahan in the fall of 1955 in Laguna Beach, CA.  They were married in Gary, Indiana on August 18, 1956. In 1957 they welcomed their daughter Pamela. Their son Hugh was born in 1960 followed by their son Karl in 1968.  During the last years of Bill’s military career they moved to Laguna Hills, CA.  In 1976 they made their final move to Mission Viejo, CA.

After Bill retired from the Marine Corps he went on to finish college at Cal State Fullerton graduating in 1973 with a degree in Business Administration.  His next career was as a Budget Analyst for the County of Orange where he took early retirement at the age of 58.  Bill then worked as an usher at Anaheim Stadium for the CA Angels–his favorite team for a few years before taking a job at Casta Del Sol Golf Course.  Working these part-time jobs helped him to work on his own golf game.

Bill and Jeanne loved to socialize with their military, church and community friends. They also enjoyed traveling on many European vacations along with group golfing trips.  In later years they did a few Disney Cruises and Hawaii trips with kids and grandkids.

They also were able to get on a Mediterranean Cruise in 2010 and some California Coast adventures too. Bill loved his sports and spent many years rooting on his favorite local teams.

Bill is survived by his wife Jeanne, his daughter Pam Stevens, his son Hugh (Teresa) and son Karl.  He was blessed with five grandchildren Aaron, Laura, Lindsay, Cole and Calvin along with seven beautiful great grandkids.  Funeral services will be held on Saturday July 15, 2023 at the Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Mission Viejo.