William “Will” Smith, 45, of Middletown, died unexpectedly at his home Monday, February 2, 2026.
Born June 5, 1980, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he was the son of Willie and Katherine Smith.
He was a 1999 graduate of Danville High School. He continued his education graduating from Southeastern Community College and the University of Iowa.
He married Alicia Johnson on June 27, 2009, in Burlington.
Will was editor and co-founder of The Burlington Beacon newspaper, from its humble beginnings as a Facebook news page to the current two-part section distributed today. Prior to that he worked for The Hawk Eye newspaper for several years.
He loved writing, playing video games, reading Stephen King novels, watching Sci-Fi television and movies, with his favorites being Star Trek; and WWE Wrestling. He enjoyed camping, taking boat rides, and spending time with his family and his wife, Alicia, and became a cat lover when he adopted his first two cats, Jeannie and Duke.
He is survived by his wife, Alicia Smith, his parents, Willie and Katherine Smith, and his fur babies Bobby and Sparky.
He was preceded in death by his paternal and maternal grandparents and his beloved Genie and Duke.
Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Saturday, February 7th at Lunning Chapel where the family will receive friends.
A memorial has been established for his family.
Cremation will be accorded following the visitation. Burial will be held in Middletown Cemetery.