Obituary: William Dale Smith, 71, of Rothbury

William Dale Smith, 71, of Rothbury, passed away at home after a short illness on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. He was born March 13, 1952, in Muskegon, the son of Robert and Dorlene (Featherly) Smith.

Bill married Karen (Abbatoy) Smith on September 21,1975 in Eustis, Florida and were married 48 years.

Bill enjoyed spending time in nature and was an avid hunter and fisherman, once catching a state record breaking Brown Trout. In his early married life, he fed his family mostly with wild game he hunted or caught. Bill worked for many years as an HVAC installer and could build or fix anything. He built his family home from the ground up by himself.

Known to his friend as “Wild Bill or Captain”, enjoyed sitting outside, drinking a beer with his friends around a campfire. He will be greatly missed by those who loved him.

Bill is survived by: his wife, Karen (Abbatoy) Smith; daughters, Erica (Matthew) Cederquist and Shannon (Paul) Charbonneau; grandchildren, Aiden Bouc, Kaya Bouc, Sara Cederquist, Tony Cederquist, Sam Cederquist, and Ben Cederquist; sister, Carolyn Morey; brother, Irvin (JoAnn) Smith; and many loved nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by: his daughter, Sgt. Tanya Smith, USMC; grandson, Josh Charbonneau; parents, Robert and Dorlene Smith; and siblings, Robert Smith, Cathy Finkler and Jane Morin.

A private graveside service and celebration of life will be held in the spring.

The Harris Funeral Home, in Shelby, is handling arrangements.

www.harrisfhome.com