It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our father, Dr. William Radford Smith, on May 5, 2021 from acute leukemia. Dr. Smith was the son of James Shields Smith and Gladys Winifred McLeary Smith. He grew up on the family farm in Jackson, Tennessee. He graduated from Northside High School in Jackson in 1947, attended Vanderbilt University, and received his medical degree from The University of Tennessee College of Medicine in 1953. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and served in the United States Air Force before starting his medical practice. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 60 years, Joy Elizabeth Powell Smith, and a brother, Charles Wade Smith.
In 1962, Dr. Smith and his family moved to Murfreesboro to join the newly formed Murfreesboro Medical Clinic. He was one of the first internists there, joining Dr. S.C. Garrison and Dr. Robert Ransom, among others, in the practice. He practiced internal medicine at Murfreesboro Medical Clinic until he retired in 1996. Dr. Smith was an enthusiastic gardener of roses and vegetables and especially enjoyed hybridizing and raising award winning orchids (Phaleonopsis stuartiana “tookie” 1979,1980) in his greenhouse. He loved opera and choral music and attended the Spoleto festival in Charleston, South Carolina often. Dr. Smith was an avid hiker and was involved with the Tennessee Trails Association; he was also an early organizer of the Stones River Craft Association in Murfreesboro and was an accomplished stained glass artist and carpenter.
Survivors include his sons, Mr. James Radford Smith and Mr. John Powell Smith, and his daughter, Dr. Elizabeth Smith Bray and her husband, Dr. Robert Bray. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Mrs. Margaux Elizabeth Bray Glancy and husband Christopher; Mr. Robert Beecher Bray and his wife, Alexandra Fontova Bray, and Miss Sierra Smith. Also surviving are his great grandchildren, Henry Beckett Glancy, Hampton Bayliss Glancy, and Anne Frances Elizabeth Glancy.
A private burial is to be held at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee where his wife is buried. A service in Murfreesboro will be held at a later date due to Covid-19 precautions.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Alive Hospice of Murfreesboro or the Audubon society.
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