Obit of Smith, William O - Unknown County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 19 Jul 2009 Return to Unknown County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/okstate.html ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== ::NOT LISTED Smith, William O. WILLIAM O. SMITH Sunrise: September 9, 1922 Sunset: March 10, 2007 Bill's birth and upbringing was in Oklahoma where he attended and graduated with honors from public schools. In early adulthood, Bill joined The Conservation Corp and landed in northern California. Upon his exit from the corp, he attended U.C. Berkeley while working part- time in the postal services. Some years later, he attended and graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in business and economics. For many years, Bill was employed by the State Human Resources Department and worked in the bay area and Sacramento offices. As a member of Christ Unity Church in Sacramento, Bill became interested in teaching and spiritual principles and traveled to Unity Village Missouri for extensive training and coupled with his local classes became a licensed teacher. He taught many Unity classes, substituted for ministers on vacation and lectured at U.C. Davis. Bill was a lifetime avid reader and became a dynamic and entertaining storyteller traveling across the United States attending storytelling gatherings, collecting and telling stories. This was his joy and passion. Bill was an active member of several local and national storytelling groups: Stagebridge (in Oakland), Storytellers Guild (in Sacramento), and The National Association of Black Storytellers Inc. (Baltimore, Maryland). Bill, ("Sir William"), had a host of storytelling friends across the country. In addition to his storytelling passion, he enjoyed spending special time with family and friends - enjoying laughter, good food and telling stories. When his health permitted, Bill affiliated with San Leandro Unity Church and East Bay Church of Religious Science in Oakland where he described the service as having "positive energy, joyful, inspiring music and uplifting sermons". Bill is survived by his children, Oding Muata a.k.a Stephen Smith, Drew Smith, and Morayo Imani a.k.a Lori Ann Smith, and his ex-wife, Marion, whom he referred to as his "best friend". In addition, Bill has a niece, Debbie, in Oklahoma and a host of cousins and friends in California and other states. The family would like to thank and pay tribute to a large network of warm, loving and tireless caregivers who provided excellent care for Bill during his lengthy illness. They also express gratitude for the outpouring of love and support since Bill's transition. Special thanks to his professional caregivers and everyone at Excell Health facility for providing such loving care and a warm comfortable environment for Bill. Bill will be deeply missed by his family and friends, but his wit, gentle charm, intelligence, sharp memory, love for family and warm spirit will remain with us always. A memorial service honoring Bill's life will be held at a future date. Love donations in his memory may be sent to: East Bay Church of Religious Science Pastoral Care Ministry 4120 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609 Excell Healthcare Center 3025 High Street, Oakland, CA 94619 Oakland Chapter of the NAACP 1970 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612 Critical Mass Health Conductors Bay Area Black United Fund Inc. (BAAAHI), 1212 Broadway, Suite 730, Oakland, CA 94612 Published in the Oakland Tribune from 4/21/2007 - 4/22/2007. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Unknown County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/okstate.html