William Edward Smith

William "Bill" Smith went to be with his Lord and Savior surrounded by his loving family in Lemoore, California on February 23, 2021. He was born May 16, 1936 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Frank and Kathleen Smith. At the tender age of 18 in pursuit of his California dream, he moved to Long Beach, California. It was while he was serving his new country in the National Guard, he met the love of his life Norma Smith (Lambach). They married in 1962 and had two sons, Andrew and Karl. Bill loved being a father to his two sons and a husband. To this day, Bill was a beloved husband and father. In 1979, Bill and his family relocated to Lemoore, California and then took an adventure by moving to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. What a time the entire family enjoyed working and living on base. The family cherishes those memories and all the people who touched their lives. After a few years in Cuba, Bill and Norma made Lemoore their forever home.

Bill continued his work as a Maintenance Director at the Lemoore Naval Air Station Base for many years after Cuba. Soon retirement was calling and Bill started another journey at the Santa Rosa Rancheria Indian Reservation where he was head of maintenance for ten years. He was a man who always needed to stay active and busy and his new job welcomed him with open arms and lots of salmon! If he wasn't working, he would be golfing, fishing, spending time with family, or volunteering at his church.

Bill was the most loving and generous man. He would light up any room with his sense of humor and warm smile. In 1993, Bill was honored with the title of Pepaw and that brought a lot of joy to his life. He and Norma would have their 3 granddaughters stay with them every weekend making many memories while having the time of their lives. One of Pepaw's favorite vacation spots was The Hawaiian islands with Kona being the family favorite. Bill loved relaxing on the beach and exploring new things to do on the island.

Bill and Norma have been active members of Koinonia Church since 1981. Sunday was his day for a donut, coffee, and a whole lot of Jesus. Together, Bill and Norma participated in many journey groups over the years where they made memories with close friends. Church was a huge part of Bill's life, bringing him closer to God and also giving him lifelong friendships.

William Smith is survived by his loving wife, Norma, their two sons, Andrew and Karl, their three granddaughters, Jordyn Gendreau and her husband, Corey Gendreau, Addrianna Smith and her wife, Taylor Potter, and Martha Smith. He also leaves behind his sister-in-law Penny Lambach and her family, as well as many cousins and lifelong friends.

Bill will be incredibly missed by all who knew him and loved him deeply.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, March 20th at 10:00am at Koinonia Church located at 12536 Hanford Armona Rd, Hanford, CA, 93230.
For those unable to attend the celebration of life in Hanford, it will be live streamed via zoom. Please send your request via email to smithcelebrationoflife@gmail.com and a zoom link will be sent to you.

The family requests in lieu of flowers to please consider a donation to either Kings Pantry, Koinonia Church, or Koinonia Missions at kchanford.com