Obituary of William E Smith

William E. (Bill) Smith, 85, of Wyckoff, NJ, formerly of Queens, Manhasset, and Scarsdale N.Y. passed away peacefully at home, on Sunday, October 6^th, surrounded by his family after a long, valiant fight with lung disease. Raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, Smith graduated from Xavier High School in Manhattan and Fordham University. Following his graduation, Smith was commissioned in the United States Air Force and served as a navigator on various aircraft including B-52’s, rising to the rank of 2LT.  After leaving the Air Force, Smith was a small business owner in New York City, eventually having a distinguished 25+ year career at The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation. During his time at D&B, he became the first person in company history to record a million dollars in sales in a single month. He retired from D&B as a national Vice President whose greatest achievement was the development of an amazing team of young professionals who regarded him as a beloved mentor in both business and life. He was also a high-level high school and NCAA basketball official, officiating games that included such stars as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bill was an avid New York Giants, Yankees, and Fordham basketball fan, and upon his retirement he served as a site supervisor for the NIT Tournament for many years. He was also a respected observer and evaluator for multiple college basketball conferences in the northeast. Smith was an active bridge player, and member of Activities Unlimited in Wyckoff for many years, while also serving a term as president. His weekly Monday morning breakfast club was a source of pride and inspiration, and the friends he made at breakfast, playing golf and at the bridge table gave him great joy. Bill was predeceased by his wife of almost 53 years, Kathleen Horgan Smith in 2016. They traveled the world and were each other’s best friend. They always looked out for others before themselves and reflecting their bond, they both passed away on October 6, three years apart. Bill is survived by his daughter Kathleen (Chris) Ennis of Cream Ridge, NJ, his son William G. (Allison) of New Providence, NJ, and his cousin Francis Lynch of Austin, TX, whom he loved like a brother, as well as six adoring grandchildren, Regan, Connor, and Caitlin Ennis, and Brian, Colin, and Matthew Smith.  The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 from 3 – 7 pm at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ.  Funeral Services will begin on Thursday, October 10, 2019 with Prayers, 9:00 AM at the funeral home with a Funeral Mass, 10:00 AM at St. Elizabeth RC Church, 700 Wyckoff Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ.  The interment will follow at Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Xavier High School, 30 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011 in his memory.