Obituary of William Francis Smith

Colonel William Francis Smith III (USAF retired), age 92, of St. Petersburg, passed away peacefully on February 18, 2018. He was born on December 28, 1925 to the late William Francis Smith Jr. and Helen Loretta (Licht) Smith in Portsmouth, OH. He is preceded in death by his brother Robert Lee Smith. William is survived by his loving wife, Vera Juanita Smith of 65 years; his children, William F. Smith IV (Diane), David R. Smith (Cindy), Diane E. Brown (Jay) and James R. Smith (Grace); grandchildren; Brittany Smith, Aaron Smith, Steven Smith (Marie), Thomas Smith, Rebecca Brown, Robert Smith, Allison Smith Spurrier (Mathew), Joshua Smith ; Great-grandchildren, Stella Smith, and many loving extended family members and friends. William (Bill) grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, received his bachelor's degree at Roanoke College and earned his MBA from Northwestern University. In addition, William faithfully served his country for 30 years in the United States Air Force. The family will receive guests for a visitation on Friday, February 23, from 10:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M. at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. MLK Street St. Petersburg, FL 33704. A graveside service will follow at, 2:30 P.M., Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Avenue Bushnell, FL 33513. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Fisher House Foundation,111 Rockville Pike #420 Rockville, MD 20850 or www.donate.fisherhouse.org. Condolences can be shared with the family at www.andersonmcqueen.com