William
"Bill" E. SmithNovember 13, 1926 - September 7, 2012
William "Bill" E. Smith of San Pedro, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died peacefully on September 7, 2012, at the age of 86. He was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. After serving in the army for two years with the Signal Corps, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Buffalo with a degree in Engineering, and from Cornell University with a Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He worked ten years at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory before moving his family to Southern California, where he was employed by Douglas Aircraft and McDonnell Douglas for fourteen years, and The Aerospace Corporation for fifteen years. During his career, Bill provided support for the space programs of the United States and NATO, and contributed to a wide variety of wind tunnel aviation programs and NASA manned space programs. He retired in 1991. Bill is survived by his wife of 58 years, Alice, their seven children, Brian (Cindy), Christopher (Sharon), Mark, Kathryn (Mark), Rosemary Harding, Susan (Peter) Breitenstein, and Andrew (Erin), and 16 grandchildren, Jennifer, Rachael, Ryan, Matthew, David, Scott, Bertrand, Nika, Adam, Jonathan, Steven, India, Vincent, Mason, Hannah, and Dylan. His grandson, Trevor preceded him in death. A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, September 12 at 11am at Green Hills Memorial Park, 27501 South Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in William's name to the World Wildlife Fund. Please sign the guest book at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.