Willard E. Smith

Willard Eugene Smith (“Will” and/or “Bill”), age 93, passed away May 7th, 2021, at his home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Willard was born May 4, 1928, in Hastings, Nebraska. He was the son of Kenneth Edmund Smith & Zatha Beatrice Smith (Crosier). On November 6, 1954, he married Annemarie Helene Todt, in Stuttgart, Germany.

Willard was raised in Lexington, Nebraska on his father’s farm. There, he learned the value of hard work as he helped his father raise turkeys, milk cows, and grow crops. He also learned to love and appreciate reading and intellectual pursuits and eventually realized he would rather work with his mind instead of his hands. As a teen, Willard got to know a German POW who, through a government program to alleviate worker shortages, helped out on the family farm. He became fascinated with Germany and the German language.

Willard graduated from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln with a major in international studies and minors in journalism and German. His interest in German culture led him to a position with the US Dept. of Defense Counterintelligence Corps as a civilian translator-analyst in Germany. There, he met and married Annemarie, and their first child, Christine, was born. He then returned to the US to enlist in the Army, where he served two years at Fort Devens, MA, and where his second child, Stefan, was born.

Will earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. He taught his first course at the University of Nebraska Omaha, then taught two years at the Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where his third child, Karla, was born. Following one year of teaching at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, he then settled into his long-term position on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh, where he taught for over 30 years, serving as chair of the Political Science Department for 15 years. Willard won the Distinguished Teacher Award of the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Chi, so often that they renamed it the Willard Smith Teaching Award upon his retirement in 1999.

Will was an avid outdoorsman and loved spending time at his cabin near Mountain, Wisconsin. The bookshelves in his study reflect his intellectual passions, but found nearby are his many trophies and awards for fishing, horseshoes & bowling, which he was equally passionate about. He also found great enjoyment in music, attending big band concerts and participating in the many jam sessions at home with his children and grandchildren.

In the late 1990s, Will was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and progressive vision loss. However, he remained intellectually active and closely involved with his family throughout. He took especially good care of his wife, who had MS, until her death in 2007.

His last several years were spent at home, being cared for by family members and caregivers. The family extends its sincere thanks to Home Instead and especially the individual caregivers who were so generous in their care and concern.

Willard is preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Annemarie, and his brother Kenneth Lee Smith. He is survived by his three children, Christine Maria Smith of Waupaca, WI; Stefan Andreas (Shu Li) Smith of La Crosse, WI; and Karla Ursula Smith of Oshkosh, WI; his grandchildren Andrew Li Smith and Benjamin Li Smith of La Crosse, WI.

A memorial service for Willard will be held Sat. May 22, at 11:00 am at the Konrad-Behlman Westside funeral home, Chaplain David Rumbold officiating. Visitation is from 10:00 – 11:00 am. Masks and social distancing requested. Memorials may be given to the charity of your choice.