William Dennis Smart
July 26, 1943 ~ June 17, 2008
Resided in:
Fairview, NC
William D. Smart, 64, of Fairview, died Tuesday, June 17, 2008, of complications from leukemia.
Born and raised in Rutherford County, he was the son of Etta Newton Smart of Forest City, NC and of the late John Henry Smart, Sr. and also was preceded in death by his sister, Shirley Smart Duncan.
Mr. Smart graduated from NCSU in 1966 with a degree in civil engineering. He served two years in the US Army for the Corp of Engineering in Vicksburg, MS. He worked thirty-five years for the NCDOT and completed his last nine years of service as the Division Engineer at the Asheville Division 13 office. Being an avid sportsman, he loved to golf, watch sports of all kinds with his wife, especially the Braves, NASCAR racing and golf.
In addition to his mother, he is survived by his wife of 40 years, Frances L. Smart of Fairview; a brother, John H. Smart, Jr. and his wife, Nancy, of Bostic, NC; three brothers-in-law, Charles of Forest City, Joe Langford and his wife, Sarah, of Lena, MS, and Ben Langford and his wife, Betty, of Jackson, MS; ten very special nieces and nephews, Kellie Nitschke and husband, Scott, Melissa Brown and husband, Chad, Michele Langford, Amelia Langford, Mary Young and husband, John, John Smart III and wife, Jennifer, Steve Langford and wife, Amy, David Langford and wife, Kelly, Marc Duncan and wife, Karen and Brandon Duncan; ten very special great-nieces and nephews and a very special young lady, Katie Myers Krier and husband, R.J., of Parker, CO.
The funeral service will be held at 11 AM Friday, in the chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian with the Rev. Darryl Searcy officiating.
The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 PM Thursday at the funeral home on Long Shoals Road.
Burial will be at 1:30 PM Friday at the Cool Springs Cemetery in Forest City, NC.
Pallbearers will be nephews, Steve Langford, David Langford, John Smart III, Scott Nitschke, Ronnie Blevins and Scott Cook.
The family would like to thank the staff of doctors and nurses, especially, Dr. David Hurd of NC Baptist Hospital, Winston Salem, the NCBH nurses 9th floor, the nurses at Mission Hospital, St. Joseph Campus 10th floor and the nurses at Mission outpatient Infusion Center, Asheville, NC
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 120 Executive Park, Building 1, Asheville, NC 28801, CarePartners Hospice, P.O. Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813 or Asheville Humane Society, 81 Thompson St., Asheville, NC 28803.
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Frances, I was sorry to learn of Bill’s passing. I recall the last time I saw him with you, visiting his mother in Forest City. He was optimistic, courageous, and determined to fight all the way. He was a great cousin and terrific classmate at Cool Springs HS. What a guy! We were all so fortunate to have had him in our lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you grieve his loss. Bill and Ann Smart
Hello Frances,
I heard recently that Bill had been promoted from this world and just wanted to share thoughts that go back to the days we worked in the Traffic Engineering Branch in Raleigh. We will celebrate his life that made all of us better for knowing him and let you know he will be missed by us ‘old timers’. In His Grace, Roger
My prayers and thoughts are with the family.
Thinking of you
Our thoughts and prayers are with Bill’s family and friends. He was a great guy and DOT employee and we were blessed to have known him!
I was sorry to hear about Bill.
We will keep the Family in our prayers.
Vance
I was blessed to care for Bill while he was in NCBH in Winston Salem.I was fortunate to almost be his primary nurse.I hold him and Frances close to my heart.I often use Bill’s fight to live, to encourage other patients that I care for.I will miss his jovial personality ,smile and jokes that made me laugh.My thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Frances.Bill wasn’t just my patient.He was my friend
To: Frances and family
I share your grief in the passing of Bill. You will continue to be in my prayers.
May God give you His peace during
this trying time.
Frances, you are in our prayers. We loved Bill and always enjoyed the lift and life he added to any gathering. He will be greatly missed. You can be proud of the contribution he gave to make NCDOT a better organization.
To Frances and all of Bill’s Family:
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. I enjoyed knowing Bill, and miss his spirited banter and competitiveness. God Bless You!
My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. Blessings and peace, Betty Nelon Rhodes
Frances, I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. I have many happy memories of our times spent together. Bill was an outstanding man.
Frances my thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. I enjoyed working with Bill at the Sylva DOT Office. He made coming to work a joy.
Frances, Our hearts are saddened by Bill’s death. We feel honored to have known him and had the opportunity to enjoy his wonderful sense of humor and that adorable laugh. His presense always lit up the room and no one that met him went away without having had a good time. He touched a lot of people and we are all better people from having known Bill. We love you Frances. Bob and Joan
Frances, Linda and I want to send our deepest condolences to you. Bill was a good man, friend, memorable person. His life ‘mattered’.
Carl and Linda McCann
My thoughts and prayers are with you all in the following days. Being friends with Kellie for the past 25 years, has allowed me to see a great example of what FAMILY really is. Your closeness was an inspiration. I am so sorry for your loss.
Frances, It saddens me to hear of your loss. I remember Bill as a very friendly, caring person. I remember the laughs we shared at times when we were living close to each other. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Take care.
Frances, I am so sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. He will surely be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.
Frances, we’ve traveled many roads since Raleigh and the pop-up trailer at the beach, cutting firewood, and building sheds. Our thoughts have been with you during these difficult times by way of Charles. Take care of yourself.
Frances,I was so sorry to hear of Bill’s passing.I truly admired and respected Bill and enjoyed working with him.My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Randy Tallent
Mrs. Francis,
Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and the rest of the family. Mr. Smart was a mentor and a great example to many of us within the NCDOT and he will be greatly missed. May God comfort you during this difficult time. Take care and God bless. Bucky, Scott, and Laura.
Frances: My thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of sorrow. I have always liked Bill and enjoyed his humor. I enjoyed playing golf with him. He always made the game fun.
Dear John, Nancy, Kellie, Scott, and families:
I am so sorry about the passing of your beloved William. Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all. Cherish the special memories so that they may comfort you.
Nancy, please email me or leave your mailing address with Mom Malene. Keep in touch.
Hugs For Life, Von @ tarheelnana6@charter.net
Frances,
Please know that you’re in our hearts and prayers at this difficult time. It was a pleasure knowing and working with Bill at DOT. We’ll continue to keep you in our prayers.
Frances,
I am so very sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. He was a wonderful man and I enjoyed working for him at the Division Office. He will be greatly missed. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time and that God is carrying you in the palm of His hand.
Bill inspired professional dedication and hard work while making it fun to take time off. He was a great mentor and leader who backed me up when I needed it and helped me learn from mistakes when I made them. He leaves a legacy of friendship and service that I will cherish the rest of my life. We miss you, ‘kid’.
Francis and family,
I just wanted to let you know that I was out of town last week and unable to attend visitation. Bill was an outstanding person and will be missed by many. He always made it a point to acknowledge all his employees and made them feel valued. May God comfort you and your family.
Dear Frances,
We were having dinner with mom tonite and she told us of Bill’s passing. My memories of Bill are that of a man that always had a smile, a good word and a helping hand. He was a dear friend to dad, mom and all of us and will be missed. Our prayers are with you and hope that the knowledge of what a wonderful man he was brings peace to you.