William S (Bill) Smith 1931 - 2026

Bill was born and raised in Tillamook, Oregon and graduated from Oregon State University (OSU) with a degree in education. While attending OSU he met the love of his life, Margaret P Gardner (Meg). Upon graduation, Bill and Meg were married and as a commissioned officer in the Army, Bill left for Ft. Sill, Oklahoma with his new wife. Shortly thereafter, Bill shipped out to Korea for a 16 month deployment. Upon returning home as a 1st Lieutenant, Bill and Meg moved back to the West Coast and had 4 children: Rory, Randy, Richard, and Robin. While in Palo Alto, Bill and a partner started a company called Metrotech before moving to Auburn in 1968. Bill and Meg owned and operated Coast to Coast Hardware before moving on to start Mother Lode Realty. Bill is survived by Meg, his wife of 72 years, 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held April 25th at 1:00pm at the Bell Road Baptist Church.