William E. “Gable” Smith III, age 67, of Tipp City, OH passed away on Tuesday, October 24, 2017.  He was born on May 8, 1950 in Troy, OH to the late William E. Smith II and Mary Ellen (Kidder) Smith.

Bill is survived by his children:  Kelly Smith Sales of Tipp City; Andrew Smith of Tipp City; William E. Smith IV of Watertown, NY and 1LT Aaron (Liz) Smith of Ft. Riley, KS; grandchildren: Josh, Jason and Kimberly Sales; sisters and brothers-in-law: Barbara and Wayne Wagner of Troy and Mary Lou DeHart and James Denning of Tipp City; nieces and nephews:  David (Tina) Wagner; Michael (Janet) DeHart; Tim (Tina) Wagner and Michele (Bryan) Blake.

Bill was a 1968 graduate of Troy High School and played football for the Troy Trojans.  He attended Georgetown College on a football scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1972.  He later received his Master of Science degree in Education in 1995 from State University of New York at Oswego. 

Bill served his country for over eleven years on active duty in the United States Army.  He initially enlisted, then decided to go “Green to Gold” and earn his commission as an officer through Officer Candidate School, Ft. Benning, GA.  He briefly served as an Armor Officer and decided to branch transfer to Ordnance and eventually Explosive Ordnance Disposal because “tanks were not exciting enough”.  He served one year overseas in the Republic of Korea, primarily within Area I near the DMZ.  He received an honorable discharge in 1988 as a senior, promotable, Captain.  His awards and decorations included the Army Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Expert Badge Hand Grenade and Senior Explosive Disposal Badge.  He was a graduate of OCS, the Armor Officer Basic Course, Ordnance Officer Advance Course, EOD Officer Course and Phases I – III of EOD Specialist Course.   Prior to the military, he was chef and manager of Gable’s Restaurant in Troy.  Bill served as an elementary school teacher and coach at Indian River Central School District for over 20 years.

Bill enjoyed music throughout his life and had a band in his early years.  He loved horse races and was an avid sports fan of football and baseball, especially the Cincinnati Reds, Ohio State Buckeyes and Syracuse Orangemen.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00PM on Saturday, October 28, 2017 at the Baird Funeral Home, Troy, OH with Rev. John Shelton officiating.  The family will receive friends prior to the service from 12:00-2:00PM Saturday at the funeral home. 

Memorial contributions may be made to Indian River Education Association Scholarship Fund, 32735B County Route 29, Philadelphia, NY 13673.  Condolences may be expressed to the family through www.bairdfuneralhome.com.

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