William Ronald Smither

1925 - 2020

SMITHER William Ronald of Lexington, 95, passed away on October 28, 2020 at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center. Born August 26, 1925 in Akron, OH. He was the son of Bolie and Rose Smither. He is survived by: his children, Evalyn (Sanford) Fram, Celeste (Allen) and Mark Smither; his niece Brooke (Chris) Finger; nephews Max and Sam Fram, and Jordan Bleu; his great grandchildren, Dean, Hank and Hannah Finger. William was preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife Dorothy, a son William David and his sister Junetta Smither. William grew up in Akron, OH and moved to Kentucky at an early age. He spent time on the family farm in Henry County before moving to Lexington as a young boy. He attended Lafayette High School and graduated in 1943. William volunteered for the Army Air Force in 1943 and he served his country during WWII with the 376th BG, 512 BS. His duties took him to southern Italy where he was stationed at an airbase in San Pancrazio. He flew 25 missions on the Liberator B-24 where he served as the tail gunner on bombing runs all over Europe. On his second mission, the Ritter crew was low on fuel returning from a Vienna mission. The plane crash-landed in Yugoslavia on January 15, 1945. The pilot and copilot perished when the plane went down. William and 8 other crew bailed out into the snowy mountains, and eventually made their way to a British airbase in Split. In two weeks, they safely returned to their Italy airbase. We are so proud of his brave service. After the war ended, William attended the University of Kentucky to study metallurgical engineering. He received his BS degree in 1950. He played baseball for UK in his senior year. William married Dorothy Lee Potter on November 27, 1952 in Lexington. They raised three lovely children together. William's employment in foundry sales and marketing took him traveling all about the Midwest. From Cincinnati, OH, he relocated to Easton, PA in 1976; Wausau, WI in 1978; and Dayton, OH in 1984 during his career. William happily retired in 1991 and he and Dorothy relocated back to his home in Lexington in 1994. He cherished the time he lived right next door to his sister, Junetta, before her passing in 1995. William will be remembered for his broad smile, and his love of being a husband and father. All the children in the neighborhood loved Mr. Smither, and they would ring the doorbell to see if he could come out to play. William was in touch with his inner child and was not ashamed to show it. He always had everyone giggling around him. We will miss his joy for life. He was a very strong individual and a survivor all his life, from his WWII experience, to cancer survivor. William had many special friends in Lexington: The Potter clan, Lafayette and UK graduates, childhood buddies, First Christian Church members, fellow Veterans who also served in WWII, Friendship Towers staff and residents. In Wilmore at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center, Bill enjoyed his time with fellow veteran residents and the kind and caring staff. We are sincerely grateful to all of them for their loving care. William and Dorothy were big fans of the Cincinnati Reds, UK Wildcats and fast race horses. Please cheer them on as you watch the games or races and remember Bill and Dot as you do so. William was an avid golf enthusiast as well, teaching his son Mark the game; both always trying for the next level of achievement. A private family service will be conducted at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, KY. During the pandemic, we feel that any other gathering would not be prudent. A future celebration of life gathering will be scheduled when times are safer for all. Covid-19 is a serious virus; please be safe and stay well. The spiritual pallbearers are Marvin Nicholson, Jr. and William Littral, both fellow veterans from Lexington who predeceased William. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to a charity that supports veterans, wildlife, birds, children, hospice or those less fortunate. www.milwardfuneral.com