Obituary of Bill Smith

SMITH, Bill, age 87, passed away peacefully on December 24, 2017. Formerly of Rochester, NY, Bill moved to Tucson over 20 years ago to take advantage of the many outdoor activities Tucson offered. He was an avid member of the Greater Arizona Biking Association for many years, savoring the camaraderie of the group as much as the strenuous rides. Bill grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, attending Roosevelt High School and then the University of Minnesota where he graduated with his degree in electrical engineering; he later obtained a masters in applied mathematics from the University of Rochester. He loved to recount stories of his summers as a teenager canoeing in the wilds of Minnesota, as well as some of his early efforts to build various electronic devices which he would ask his mother to help test for him (which then often went off with an unexpected bang, to her great displeasure). He was an early participant in the field of computer sciences, and enjoyed a long-term career as a systems analyst for Eastman Kodak and later IBM; he remained a member of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE). Bill is survived by his two children and six grandchildren: Roy and his wife, Donna and their three sons, Alex, Bill and Peter of South Orange, NJ and Catherine and her husband, John Connolly and their three children, Elizabeth, Margot and Andrew of Weston, MA. He was predeceased by his wife of 38 years, Smilya, as well as a son, Stephen. Friends are invited to attend a remembrance of his life at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, December 29, 2017 at Brookdale Santa Catalina, 7500 N. Calle Sin Envidia, Tucson. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel.