Harold Billy Smith's Obituary
February 25, 1925: born Harold Dancel Willard in Wewoka, OK, he would later spend his early childhood in an oil camp near Drumwright, OK, being raised by his aunt and uncle, Mabel and Elijah David Smith. It was only when he was later adopted by his uncle during their move to Dallas that he chose his own name and became known as Harold Billy Smith.
January 31, 1943: graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School (despite having been a member of the Lakewood Rats).
February 13, 1943: enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp as a Private at the age of 17 and embarked in officer training school.
October 2, 1943: married high school sweetheart, Betty Marie Draper.
June, 1949: graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Following graduation, he purchased 3 oil wells with his father in West Texas and the E. D. Drilling Company was born.
August, 1949: having been called back into active duty, he boarded a ship bound for Korea, leaving his wife when she was 6 months pregnant. His fighting in Korea took him behind Chinese lines, from Inchon on Sept. 16, 1950 to the Punchbowl on July 10, 1951. Never speaking of his time in the war until much later in life, he was a proud member of the Choisin Few and considered it to be one of his dearest honors.
1964: retired from the Marine Reserves after 21 years of service with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer of the Second Battalion, Fourteenth Marines. From there, he continued to own and operate the H. Bill Smith Oil Company in West Texas.
1976: after selling his oil company, he worked for ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia, where he sought and befriended Bedouin tribes living in the desert, shop owners and goldsmiths working in back rooms, and learning as much as he could about the history and culture of the Arab people.
1980: began work for Mobil Oil Company on the wells in Libya, followed by a transfer to Mobil’s MEPSI unit and a later change in position to a quality control consultant for Mobil Oil, which led him to travel the world.
1993: retired. Bill and Betty enjoyed traveling, and together they formed their own arts and crafts company, Piece of Mind, making lifetime friends through their participation in various craft shows and Dallas crafts groups. It was during this time that he unleashed his skills at designing, bending and welding horseshoe nail sculptures.
But, dates outlining schooling, jobs and military service don’t paint an accurate story of the Bill Smith we loved so dearly. He was a man of great moral strength and character who wanted to be involved in his daughters’ lives and activities….school trips to Padre Island, jeep trips to Colorado to search for quartz crystals, garnering financial support from West Texas oil vendors for their ballet company, indoctrinating his family and friends into the oil culture of Electra, Texas and such notables as Friendly Honest Jack, serving as Property Manager for their church where he allowed the girls to sneak into the communion wafers for a snack, spending Saturday afternoons watching scary movies on TV and eating popcorn, scaring the bejeezus out of guys who wanted to date his daughters, often cleaning his shotguns at the exact time a date arrived. He was a loving and supportive grandfather who could always be found in the bleachers or at an event with a smile on his face and camera in hand. He passed down his love of rocks to his granddaughters and also taught them a thing or two about gathering and roasting pecans from the backyard. Though he was always outnumbered by girls, he happily and proudly documented their doll creations and costume designs.
As a once-professed introvert who did not like to make new friends, he blossomed through his association with Teena’s church, Lake Highlands Baptist Church, and the cherished friends he was so fortunate to make these past few years. Always a creature of habit, his weekly domino games, Saturday trips to Kuby’s for lunch, and Friday night dinner/game nights were each heartily anticipated as if each time were his first. And, though not planned, the aids who treated him during his rehab visits and those at his independent living facility all grew to love this very kind, generous man, and they were loved and cherished in return. Even just 2 days before his death, he was joking with the aids and trying to “scare” them – always followed by a big grin and “just joking” or “she can sure move fast.”
Betty preceded him in death in 2012 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. Bill is survived by: daughters Diane Michaels and Teena Anderson; son-in-law Jimmy Anderson; grandchildren and their spouses, Patricia and David Anderson and Sarah and Noah Mitchell; 4 cherished great grandchildren Davey Anderson, Daniel Anderson, Isaiah Anderson and Vivian Mitchell; and cousin Karen Smith.
Should you so desire, memorials in his honor may be made to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs, Wounded Warrior Project, or the charity of your choice.
His passing leaves a huge hole in the lives of those who cherished him so very dearly.
Pa, you are missed.
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