Getting to Know You: Bill Smith

If you guessed Bill Smith, you are correct!

Bill was born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia. His family was of the Lutheran faith and German descent. His father traveled a lot for business so Bill spent his childhood in the company of females, his mother, and three sisters. Painfully shy, Bill attended his 50th high school reunion, that he organized, and his classmates didn’t realize he had gone to high school with them.

Just days after his father died in 1972, Bill graduated from college and went to work for Robertshaw Controls Co, a global design, engineering, manufacturing, and appliance controls Industry. Bill worked there for 10 years in Philadelphia, Knoxville, and Richmond Virginia. During his employment with Robertshaw he was awarded 22 U.S. patents.

In 1983 Bill took a job with the Kenner Toy Company in Cincinnati. While working for Kenner, Bill met many of the Star Wars stars and other movie and TV personalities.

He met the love of his life, Kris, four years after arriving in Cincinnati, at church. He credits Kris for discovering and allowing the aspects of his personality to fully come alive and develop. With the love and encouragement of his new love, he blossomed into the Bill we know today. No more shy guy.

They married and have four children. Two daughters and two sons, the youngest son in the Navy stationed in Italy. They are also the very proud grandparents (Pop Pop and Granny She) to six grandchildren, five granddaughters and a grandson who Bill is very proud is his namesake, ranging in age from 8 to 24.

Kenner was acquired by Hasbro Toys, and in 2001 Hasbro closed the Cincinnati operation. Bill was offered an opportunity with the company that couldn’t be ignored. So Bill and Kris uprooted and moved to Rhode Island where they lived for 12 years before retiring and returning to Cincinnati.

Besides spending time with family, they enjoy spending time together and are enthusiastic golfing partners. Over the years they have established several holiday traditions. A couple of traditions that are centered around the Easter season are, eating Shad fish on Good Friday, (a fish that has more bones than the human body, and is known for feeding the founding fathers). Taste-wise, it’s not one of Bill’s favorites. Also during the Easter season, they play a game called Egg Pocking (or Egg Popping).  Its roots date back to ancient Greece. In some traditions the eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Jesus and the cracking of the eggs symbolize Jesus’ resurrection. The name relates to the sound the eggs make when they are tapped together.

During Bill’s interesting and successful career he had the opportunity to travel extensively, spending a lot of time in China and several months at a time in Portugal, and traveling to other European countries, as well as much of the United States. Kris is not very fond of flying but they are planning a trip to Italy in the coming year to visit their son.

While looking for a new church family closer to their home, they saw our Sunday Morning Service on the internet. Impressed with Pastor Rebecca’s sermons and our choir they visited and the rest is history. So we are the lucky church that is now home for Bill and Kris.

If you haven’t met them yet, please introduce yourself to the no longer “shy guy” and his lovely wife Kris.