Feb 22, 2021
William “Bill” Buchanan Smith, 89, of Stilwell Oklahoma, passed away at home with his family at his side on February 20, 2021.
Bill was born on March 25, 1931 in Marshalltown, Iowa, to Jesse C. Smith and Laura E. (McCullough) Smith. He grew up on the family farm south of Tama, Iowa and graduated from Tama High School in 1949. He worked as a farm hand and carpenter until he enlisted in the US Air Force in 1951. He was stationed in Kadena, Okinawa where his B29 bomber crew flew 29 missions during the Korean War. During the war, Bill earned the Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, United Nations Medal, Korean Service Medal, Sigma Rea Unit Citation Medal with 1 Cluster and Air Crew Member Wings. He returned to Iowa and married Donna Mae Polka on December 12, 1952. The couple briefly lived in Shreveport, Louisiana, while Bill finished his enlistment in the Air Force. The couple settled on a farm in Southeast Marshall County where they raised their five children and Bill farme