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Arrangements

The funeral for Scoutmaster William "Doc" Smith will be on Saturday, November 1, at 11:00am, at the Katonah Methodist Church, 7 Bedford Road, Katonah, NY. All who knew him or connected to him in some way are welcome. It is requested that all Scouts appear in full dress uniform. Please email Otto Vondrak or call 585-820-2341 if you have any questions.

From the Journal News, October 26, 2008:
Dr. William H. Smith, 88, of Katonah, died on October 22, 2008. Dr. Smith ("Doc") was born in New York City on December 16, 1919 and was raised in Cold Spring, NY. He attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine and interned in pediatrics at the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. During WWII he served in the Army in the medical corps. In 1950 he settled in Katonah to work as the first pediatrician at the newly formed Katonah Medical Group. He practiced with the group for 40 years and was the long-time Katonah-Lewisboro School District physician, a job he continued for years after retirement from the medical group. An interest in Scouting led to his role as Scoutmaster of Katonah Troop 1, BSA, a position he held for the past 52 years. During those years he attended national and international Jamborees, hiked miles of trails including some in the Swiss Alps, was a leader and mentor to thousands of boys and guided 63 of his Scouts to the rank of Eagle. Doc was a longtime member of the Northeast Westchester Rotary Club where he held the office of Sergeant at Arms and was a past recipient of the club's Stan Schaefer Award. He was a fixture at the club's fundraisers and rarely missed meetings even when away from his home club. Doc was a member of the Katonah United Methodist Church where he often played his harmonica during services. Doc loved spending time at his camp on Lovewell Pond in Fryeburg, Maine and especially looked forward to the yearly canoe trip on the Saco River with the Scout troop. Known for his unique sense of humor, quirky sayings, extemporaneous poetry and harmonica serenades, he will be greatly missed by generations of patients, Scouts and friends.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 1 at the Katonah United Methodist Church at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dr. Smith's memory may be made to the William H. Smith Memorial Fund, 171 Bedford Rd., Katonah, NY 10536.

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