William ‘Wild Bill’ Merton Smith

William “Wild Bill” Merton Smith, 79, of Willow died in his sleep March 14, 2013, at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage.

He was born in Farmington, Maine, on May 5, 1934, to the late Lewis Sr. and Alice Smith. Bill served in the U.S. Navy.

He has 10 children, William, Ron, Pam, Wanda, Charmaine, Bill, Jeff, Wade, Brett and Jason.

Bill moved to Alaska in 1972 and worked as an airplane mechanic. He truly lived the Alaska dream. He was an avid hunter, fisher and prospector. A few of his hobbies were building and selling his airplanes and, of course, his love of singing and playing guitar with his friends and family. On a good weekend you could find Bill out playing pool or two-stepping on the dance floor. Bill also had his Alaskan children, Janie, Bonnie, Teri, Allen and Rachel, countless grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

Surviving are his brother, Lewis Jr.; sister, Barbra; children and their spouses; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and his companion in life, Linda Stillwell.

A celebration of his life is at 3 p.m., April 6 at the Pioneer Lodge in Willow. Please come and join in and bring your favorite Bill story.