Obituary of William Smith

Ocala - William Earle Smith, 82, passed away on November 21, 2011. Earle was born on August 30, 1929 in Murrells Inlet, SC. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Virginia J. Smith; daughter Sandy (Steve) Means, sons William Smith and Randy (Karen) Smith. Stepdaughters Amy (Rich) Driscoll and Gina (Fred) Piaza and stepson Dennis (Denise) Hens. Grandchildren Meagan Savage, Cayce (Michael) Miller, Tyler Smith, Brittany Stapleton, Madison Smith, Nicholas Smith and Maggie Smith. Three great-grandchildren Hailey and Hayden Proveaux and Kali Stapleton. Presided in death by Bernice Ott Smith. After graduating from the Citadel, he spent 5 years in South and Central American working for the US Army Corps of Engineers. He returned home to South Carolina, building bridges for the SC Road Department. He joined Structures, Inc. in 1967, moving to Miami for 3 years. In 1970, the family moved to Ocala for the construction of the Ocklawaha River bridge. During the 1970's and 80's, Earle built many bridges throughout the Southern United States and Puerto Rico. In 1983, he retired from Structures and settled back in Ocala where he helped establish several local engineering companies. His last position was with Geo-Tech, Inc. as part owner and Professional Engineer. He was long time member of the local Elks Clubs of America and Tri-County Sportsman Club. A Visitation for Mr. Smith will be held from 5-7PM Saturday, November 26, 2011 at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, 910 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, Fl. Funeral Mass will be said at 3:15PM on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church with Fr. Patrick Sheedy,officiating.