William Jackson Smith, 91, entered eternal rest on June 25, 2017. He was the beloved husband of Almeta Payne Smith, with whom he shared 68 years of marriage.
Mr. Smith was born in Lovejoy, IL on May 7, 1926. He is the son of the late William Ernest Smith and Charlene E. Jackson Smith, and brother of the late Margaret Smith Samples and Daisy Smith Giscombe.
Mr. Smith was an Educator and Administrator for the City of New Haven Board of Education for 25 years. He taught at Wilbur Cross High School and later became Principal of Richard C. Lee High School. He retired as Principal of Career High School in 1992.
Prior to moving to Connecticut in 1967, he resided in Kansas City, Kansas for 16 years. While in Kansas City, he taught Mathematics and Physics at Sumner High School.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children William Payne Smith, Linda Lorraine Smith Charles, Sonya Elizabeth Smith Prear (Tyrone) and Jeffrey Eliot Smith (Judy), 8 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and many friends.
A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3 Trumbull Place, North Haven, CT 06473, on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at 1PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church for the Memorial Gardens or to the New Haven Lions Club Charitable Trust, P.O. Box 8012, New Haven, CT 06530.
To the Smith family me and all of of the Lee High alumni are saddened by the news we know he in a better place and we will miss him dearly. Keep the faith & God bless. George Gaskins #ClassOf1985
After having read about your loved one in the obituary, it brought to mind the promise that the Bible holds out at
Revelation 2l:3,4 where it says that the Grand Creator Jehovah God will wipe away sickness and death forever. It is at that time many families like yours will reap rich blessings and be reunited with their lost loved ones.(John 17:3; John 5:28,29)
I truly hope these scriptures can serve as comfort in your family’s time of distress.
Dear Linda and family. You have my deepest sympathy. May all of you find solace in the Lord and may his soul rest in peace. I will keep you close to my heart and prayers during this time of grief.
Dear Linda and family, you have my deepest sympathy. Mr. Smith was a great contributor in education in Kansas City and will always be remembered. May you find solace in God during this time of grief. You will be close to my heart and prayers.
I send to you and the family my deepest sympathy; May God give you strength and hold you up in His care and cover you with His Love
My deepest sympathy to the Smith Family. May you find comfort in knowing that Mr. Smith touched the lives of many young people while he served at Richard C. Lee High School. He believed in us and always had a kind, encouraging word to share. By impacting so many young lives in positive ways, he influenced the trajectory of lives, thereby changing the world for the better.
Dear family Mr. Smith,
Many years ago at Sumner Hiogh School in Kansas City, Kansas, Mr. Smith was my algebra/geometry teacher. He was an excellent teacher who inspired me to learn. One incident I remember so well is the grading period in which I received (earned) a B from his class, I remember crying because of that B. He laughed. It was the first and only B I received from his class. That’s how convincing he was of the importance of learning. Years later, I visited his home when my brother graduated from Yale University. He was that same kind and humorous teacher that I had many years ago I am grateful that God allowed our paths to cross.
God certainly blessed him with a fruitful life. Know that my are with you.
Mr. Smith was a teacher to remembered who had a great impact on my life more than 50 years ago. Praying for the family.
May your memories of your loved one bring peace and comfort to your hearts. My memories of Mr. Smith was as my algebra teacher at Sumner High School in 1964. I did not like math, but liked Mr. Smith and the way he taught. His energy was contagious.
To the Smith Family,
I only learned of your loss in the last few days. My prayers are with you and your family.
I am a 1965 graduate of Sumner High in Kansas City.
I had the good fortune to have Mr. Smith as n instructor all three of my years there. Physical Science, Algebra II, and Physics. He was a great instructor and I learned a great deal from him. I enjoyed his spirit, his candor, and our interactions. During my career with General Motors, I would often bring him up as an example of how someone could motivate you. Thanks so much for sharing him with us.
I feel so fortunate to have been a student of Mr. Smith at Sumner High School. Because of him, Algebra was a fun and interesting subject, and I looked forward to attending his class every day. If there was a Hall of Fame for teachers, he would certainly qualify….Mr. Smith was one of the very best.
Mr. Smith always greeted me and my family with a warm hello and a smile. I’ll miss him because he and Mrs. Smith have been one of the strongest role models for heading up a family, that I had ever met. Love always, Charlie