Avis de décès de Willie-V. Smith - Nécrologie - MesAieux.com

SMITH, Willie V. (Will) (Poppa) Of Rochester died suddenly on January 15, 2008 at age 60. Predeceased by his stepfather, Herman Bennett and brother, Lanis Smith. Survived by his loving wife, Christine; children, Whitni and Nat (Jayden Donahue), "precious" granddaughter, Jordyn; mother, Elma Louise Bennett; brothers, Cornell (Brenda) Bennett, Courtney (friend Chris) Bennett, Clotus (Brenda) Bennett, Kelly Smith; and many relatives, including special nephew, Sheldon Smith. His cats, Roosevelt, Julie and Molly, will miss him greatly. Will was born in McRoberts, Kentucky and grew up in Smithfield, PA and Elmira, NY. Growing up he was a member of cub scouts and boy scouts and the Future Farmers of America. Will attended Corning Community College for a year and then began working briefly as a model for a store in Elmira. He later worked for NYS Electric and Gas. Will moved to Rochester to be closer with the love of his life and high school sweetheart Chris, whom he married in 1973. He worked for the Dept. of Corrections at Attica and Albion before joining Kodak where he retired in 2003. His knowledge of safety regulations was outstanding. After retiring, he worked part time at a group home for Lifetime Assistance and then drove school bus for Laidlaw in the City of Rochester. He so enjoyed the school kids, always ready to teach them about wildlife and any other subject that came up in conversation. Fishing was Will's main hobby. He fished all year long at Russell Station in Charlotte. In 2006, he and Chris went to Alaska where he fulfilled a lifelong dream of salmon stream fly fishing with some of his own hand made flies. Will shared his love of travel with Chris, going to Kenya, Hawaii, San Francisco and various states in the US. He also enjoyed bird watching, camping, hunting with his brothers, biking and just watching wildlife. His sense of humor was contagious. He could make people laugh at the silliest things. Will also had a great knack for fixing things and making them work again, creating some wonderful little inventions at the same time. In lieu of flowers, please remember Will by donating to: Wild Wings at Mendon Park, 27 Pond Road, Honeoye Falls, New York 14472; Braddock Bay Raptor Research, 85 Lisa Lane, Spencerport, NY 14559; Pet Adoption Network, P.O. Box 17126, Rochester, New York 14617. Family and friends are invited to call Sunday, January 20, 2008, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Miller Funeral Homes, Inc. (3325 Winton Road S., Rochester, NY), where Will's Funeral service will be celebrated on Monday, January 21, 2008, at 11 a.m. Interment will be private. To e-mail a message of condolence to the family please visit Will's guestbook at: www.millerfuneralhomes.com