William Wayne Smith

William Wayne Smith, who lived on Cudjoe Key for more than 20 years, died June 4 in Naples. Fla. He was 95.

Throughout his life, Mr. Smith made friends easily and enjoyed their company. In the early years of his working career, he would invite colleagues over for a shrimp boil because, he said, you can't be formal while peeling shrimp. More recently he was known for maintaining a long list of family, friends and acquaintances who received shipments of Georgia pecans at the holidays, leading to pecan pies and other treats throughout the following year.

Mr. Smith, born on Oct. 6, 1926 in Montgomery, Ala., was the son of William Alton Smith and Cora Lee (Sterling) Smith. During the final years of World War II and the Korean War, he served as a Sonarman Second Class in the U.S. Navy. He joined the Otis Elevator Co. as a mechanic's helper after his return to Montgomery.

He was on a service call in that city when he met Sara Carmichael, a registered nurse. They married in 1951 and had seven children before Mrs. Smith's death in 1979 in West Hartford, Conn.

Mr. Smith worked in the company's service sector throughout his career, which touched on projects ranging from the commuter escalator still in service in Hong Kong to many of the mid-century high rises in New York City. He retired in the late 1980s as the company's director of service for North America and became an expert witness, working for Otis and other major elevator companies.

During his later years with Otis, he met Linda Frasier of Westford, Mass., who also worked for the company, and they were married in 1981.

They traveled often during the early years of their marriage, learned to fly and enjoyed boating from their home on Cudjoe Key, dividing their time between that house and one in Wareham, Mass. In February 2021, they left the Keys for a new home in Bonita Springs, Fla.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Smith is survived by his children: Mary Jude Smith and her husband, David O. Bailey, of Honolulu; Coleman Smith and his wife, Jane, of Bloomfield, Conn.; Angela Smith of Irmo, S.C.; Michael Smith of Cornelius, N.C.; Kevin Smith and his wife, Linda, of Canton, Conn.; John Smith-Horn and his wife, Lisa, of Ellington, Conn; and Loretta Worsham and her husband, Hodge, of Oakmont, Penn.

He had 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mr. Smith also had what he always called his five "adopted" children: Chris and Coleen Hyldburg of Bourne, Mass.; Sue Levy of Metuchen, N.J.; Jocelyn LeBarnes of Buena Vista, Ga.; and Anneliese Dietrick of Big Pine Key, Fla.

A celebration of life will be scheduled at the family's convenience. Donations in Mr. Smith's name may be made to the Salvation Army or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.