William J. Smith

William J. Smith, age 89, of Pompton Plains and formerly of Wayne passed away peacefully on Friday, March 11, 2022 while receiving the loving care of his family.

Bill was born in Paterson and lived in East Orange and was the only son to William and Mary Smith.  His mother Mary Smith passed away at the age of thirty-six when Bill was only eleven years old.  His father, at the time of his mother’s passing, was away serving in the United States Armed Forces and Bill never really got to know his dad.  Bill was in turn raised by his grandmother and his aunt and uncle.  After his mother’s passing he moved to Paterson to live with his grandmother.  Following his graduation from high school, his family signed him up for special classes, however, Bill had other plans in mind and enlisted in the United States Navy.  While serving in the Navy he was stationed in Jacksonville, FL where he was trained in electronics.  The Navy then relocated him to Hawaii where he was assigned to a flight squadron and assisted in the engineering of various avionics equipment, which at the time was completely new technology.  Bill served honorably in the United States Navy from 1953 until 1955.

Following his honorable discharge from the navy, bill found work quickly and accepted a position as an engineer at Bendix Corporation in Teterboro, NJ.  His career as an engineer at Bendix Corporation spanned more than thirty-three years until his retirement in 1997.  The highlight of Bill’s career was being able to work alongside Wernher von Braun developing rocket systems for the Space Shuttle.  Wernher von Braun was a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and a pioneer of rocket and space technology in the United States.  Bill truly and sincerely loved his job and never really thought of it as work.

Bill met the love of his life, Nanette Malzone in 1955.  Bill and Nan met almost by chance.  Bill had just been discharged from the U.S. Navy, returning home that very day, and he was settling into his aunt’s apartment in Paterson. Nan just happened to be visiting her own aunt who lived in the same two-family home. Their chance encounter resulted in a first date to the Garden Theater in Paterson followed by pizza at a nearby tavern. They hit it off and as fate would have it, they were married on October 7, 1956 at St. George’s Church, Paterson, followed by a honeymoon to Florida. They settled in Hawthorne upon their return and lived in Paterson briefly before buying a new home in Wayne in 1968. Nan and Bill raised their son there, built lasting relationships with many of their neighbors, and truly enjoyed their forty five years in that home.

Bill and Nan traveled extensively to various destinations including St Maarten, Cancun, Las Vegas, California, and Hawaii.  Their favorite destination, however, was the island of Aruba.  Bill was, what some would say, “a computer nut.”  Although computer technology was not part of Bill’s generation, he completely and totally embraced it.  Bill and Nan moved to Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains about eight years ago and enjoyed playing cards and bingo with their fellow residents.  While living in Wayne for many years, Bill was on the Board of Adjustments and was also a High School Band Booster.

Aside from all of Bill’s talents, hobbies, and interests, his greatest passion was for his family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Bill than spending time with and providing for his family.  He and his wife Nanette cherished nearly sixty years of loving and loyal marriage together until Nan’s passing in December of 2015.  Bill was a funny, loving and caring individual who was truly well respected by his colleagues, friends and family.  He had an infectious personality and was the kind of person who couldn’t help but like.  Bill was a truly special person who touched the lives of many people and will be sorely missed by everyone that knew him.  

Bill is survived by his son William Jude Smith and his wife Jennifer of Tribeca, NYC, two grandchildren; Tyden Smith and McKenna Smith both of Tribeca, NYC, and his long-time caregiver and dear friend Patty Samoah and her husband Appiah Young of North Haledon.