William C. Smith

William C. Smith was born on May 13, 1926, and lived all his life in Cincinnati, excepting a stint in the U.S. Marines during WWII and during the construction of the Tampa Airport.  He passed away to join his wife, Alice, on October 8, 2022.

His parents were William and Florence Smith.  He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Robert; his wife of 58 years (Mary) Alice, and their son, Jerry.

He is survived by his sister, Gloria; daughters Debra Ann (Stevan) Dittmer and Diane Carol (Todd) Burns; grandchildren Bret Holland, Jennifer Dossenback, and Chris (Rush) Dittmer and great-grandchildren Alli Holland, Ryan Dossenback, Gabrielle Dossenback, and Denali Dittmer.

Like his father before him, Bill was a bricklayer by trade but rose to supervisory roles for masonry contractor David Hummel and marble and tile contractor Mike Carnevale.  He retired in 1988 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bricklayers Union in 2022 for 75 years of membership.

Bill had a major role in the construction of many buildings in the Cincinnati area, including Procter and Gamble’s headquarters in downtown Cincinnati, the AT&T building, several hospital buildings, churches, and Kings Island, as well as the Tampa Bay airport.  Before that, he was a hands-on bricklayer at projects in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Indiana.

Bill spent WWII on the USS Iowa, where Marines manned the 40-mm anti-aircraft guns on the big battleship and provided ship discipline and security.  He was also with a detachment of Marines who entered Tokyo Bay’s facilities just after the Japanese surrender in 1945.  He also served another tour of duty in Japan in 1946.  Bill’s uniform is now in a Seagoing Marines display in the USS Iowa Museum aboard a ship in San Pedro, California.

Contributions to honor Bill’s memory can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.