William Patrick Smith

William P. Smith, 74, of Wharton, New Jersey, formerly of Clifton and Barnegat, passed peacefully on Monday, August 23, 2021.

William or “Bill” as he was known to his friends and family, was born in Passaic and grew up in Wallington, NJ.  He was valedictorian of the Wallington High School Class of 1965 and was captain of the Varsity Basketball team.  Bill believed in the power and importance of education and dedicated his life to teaching.  He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Montclair State University in Chemistry and Education.  Bill led a long and successful career as a chemistry teacher at Clifton High School.  He was well-loved and respected by his students and colleagues alike.  Bill made learning fun for his students and could often be found shooting hoops after school in a pickup game.  Bill retired in 2004 after 35 years of teaching, moving to Barnegat, NJ to live near the ocean, one of his favorite places.

Bill was the loving husband of Linda (nee Wilson) for 50 years and was an amazing father to his three daughters, Melissa (Drew), Amanda (Christopher), and Sharon.  He was predeceased by his father William, his mother Veronica (nee Hudak) and brother Ralph. 

Those who knew Bill knew that he loved superheroes (specifically the ongoing debate of Superman vs Batman), comic books, the Boston Celtics, contemplating the existence of alien life, body surfing at the beach, shooting the breeze with his best pal Jim, and spending time with his beloved granddogs, Calli and Chi-Chi.  Bill was a truly kind person, who gave more than he took and made an indelible mark on the lives of those who were lucky to have known him.  He was our superhero.  He will be forever loved and forever missed.

A celebration of Bill’s life will take place on Friday, August 27th at Bizub-Quinlan Funeral Home, 1313 Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:  Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation, 150 New Providence Road, Mountainside, NJ 07092 ( www.childrens-specialized.org ), O.S.C.A.R (One Step Closer Animal Rescue, Inc.), 155 Stanhope Sparta Road, Byram Township, NJ 07821 (www.oscaranimalrescue.org) and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 ( www.stjude.org). Condolences to the family may be left on the Tribute Wall section of the obituary at www.bizubquinlan.com. 

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