William J. Smith Jr., Marine Corps veteran
William J. Smith Jr. of Salisbury, formerly of Severna Park, Md., a veteran of the U.S. Marines and avid golfer, passed away peacefully at home Thursday, June 16, 2022. He was 98 years old. The son of William and Anita Smith, Bill grew up in Baltimore, Md. He was born Sept. 14, 1923, and attended Forest Park High School, graduating with the Class of 1941. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Loyola College. In 1950, he completed law school at University of Maryland College of Law. William married the love of his life, Isabelle K. Smith, in 1945. On April 21, 2022, they celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary.
Bill honorably served his country in the U.S. Marines during World War II. As part of his service, he was ordered to Camp Pendleton, Calif., and deployed to Guam with the 75th Replacement draft Aug. 7, 1945, one day after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Upon returning home, Bill practiced law at Bald, Smith and Lucke in Severna Park and Annapolis, and worked as executive director of the Maryland State Bar Association. Bill served on many boards including the Greater Severna Park Council, Anne Arundel Board of Appeals, counsel to the Board of Election Supervisors and Anne Arundel Community College Board of Trustees. Bill was an active member of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field and St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, where he was a vestryman, senior warden, Sunday school teacher and choir member.
Bill had a passion for playing golf, a skill he developed while working as a caddy near his childhood home. Upon retirement, he lived at Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club in Delaware, where he fulfilled his dream to break a score of 80 and shoot a hole-in-one. In 1999, he moved to Mallard Landing in Salisbury, where he was called out of retirement at the age of 79 and elected judge of the Orphans’ Court of Wicomico County. Bill served three terms, retiring (again) at the age of 91. While living on the Eastern Shore, Isabelle and Bill attended the Church of the Holy Spirit, which developed into helping establish and build a new church named Holy Trinity Cathedral. This became his calling.
William was preceded in death by loving parents, his brother, Richard Smith; and sister-in-law, Dorothy Wiley. He is survived by his wife, Isabelle Kelly Smith; his sister, Nancy Marquand; his two children, Stephen (Cathy) Smith of Severna Park, Md., and Anita (Ted) Bavis of Rehoboth Beach; four grandchildren, Jessica (Jonathan) Quigley, Lucas (Jennifer) Smith, Alice (Christopher) Rausch and Emily (Keith) Moquin; and eight great-grandchildren, Isabelle, Silas, Odin, Finn, Abigail, Caroline, Harrison and Cora.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, July 2, at Holy Trinity Cathedral, 11021 Worcester Hwy., Berlin, Md.
