William Edward Smith Sr.

"Papa was a rolling stone.". William Smith, affectionately known as "Pud," son of the late Dorothy Lynn Byers-Butler was born Thursday, Dec 31, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. Pud was educated in the Carlisle and Cumberland Valley School District of Pennsylvania. After serving in the United States Army (Vietnam) from 1961-1967, he relocated to Seattle, Washington, in 1963, where he met and fell in love with his Queen, Mattie B. Bruce. They would fall in love, get married and begin a family. This union lasted fifty-nine years.

 

In his lifetime, Matt & Pud lived a good life and worked tirelessly to provide for their family. Pud made sure that his family always had the best of everything. As parents, there was never a time that their children went without. Pud was known for his love of motorcycles, which he rode until his health began to fail him. He was a member of the Buffalo Soldiers in Harrisburg and he started a chapter in North Carolina. Pud also owned several horses, one for himself, "Sundance," his son Billy (Felix), and his daughter Michelle (Coco). Pud also was adventurous; he owned a race car and would drag race at the Williams Grove Speedway. His race car was named "Snoopy." During our childhood, he gave us snowmobiles and go-carts and took his family to almost every beach on the east coast.

 

In the early 70s, Pud owned and operated two gas stations, "Bills Esso" on 6th & Maclay St, and "Bills Texaco" on 7th & Herr Street in Harrisburg, PA. Pud also owned two bars within the Harrisburg area, "Midnight Special (Favs) and “Butlers”. Pud also, along with a friend, was a DJ in his bars, they were called “Spiffy and Fleabag”. Pud loved trucks, his favorite was his black Chevy Blazer with the big wheels. He also had a love of mobile homes where he would take his family on vacations. We either slept in the mobile home or in a tent at the campsite. Whenever you were in the car with Pud, you best believe it would be a three-day adventure. He also owned a twenty-nine-foot boat that he docked on Delaware Bay. Pud was also an avid hunter, going to Breezewood, PA, every year for deer season. He kept a collection of guns in his personal inventory. You could remember Pud as the "Black Wyatt Earp" with his cowboy hat and a forty-five pistol in his holster. 

 

Pud was a former state worker who retired from the Mechanicsburg Navy depot after 25 years of service. Pud was a husband, father, uncle, grandfather, brother, cousin, and friend to many. He enjoyed his life and wanted to live as long as possible. Unfortunately, his illness took a toll on his heart and body. Anyone who loved him appreciated the time they had together. During his final stay in the hospital, his daughter Michelle stayed by his side, holding his hand and leading him in the sinner's prayer for salvation, and his son-in-law would sit with him overnight. Sadly, after being in Hospice for less than a week, he took his last breath on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Reidsville, North Carolina, at eighty years old, as his daughter watched by Facetime. 

 

He is survived by his only daughter Elder Michelle-Smith (Elder William) Jackson of Harrisburg, Pa., two brothers, Frank of Harrisburg and Sam of Altoona, four sisters, Jean Johnson of Chambersburg, Becky, Shirley, and Pill (Bessie), all of Harrisburg, several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces' , nephews, and cousins.