William H. Small

William H. Small, Jr. Retired Navy BARTOW - William H. Small, Jr. of Bartow died of natural causes on December 24, 2011 at the age of 95. His parents were William Houston Small and Lula Johnson Small, and he was born on a cattle ranch near Ten Sleep, Wyoming on March 1, 1916. Mr. Small spent his teenage years in Bartow and graduated from Summerlin Institute. He joined the Navy prior to World War II; and except for the period between World War II and the Korean War, he served in the Navy for over thirty years. His career spanned from tracking Nazi submarines in the Caribbean to active combat duty on the USS New Jersey off Vietnam. He was predeceased by his wife of 44 years Margaret Rood Small and his sister Margaret S. Sorensen. He is survived by his wife of the past 24 years Helen Holland Small, his daughters Barbara S. Adams and husband DeWalter, and Diane S. Walsh and husband Robert, stepson Carl F. Holland and wife Mariann, his sisters Veulah S. Wilson and Gloria S. Syme, cousin Luther Wilson, six grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren, and four great great grandchildren. Billy Small was a soft spoken, kind and gentle man. He was a skilled and careful craftsman who paid great attention to the details of whatever job he undertook. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. He was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church of Bartow and was a member of the Bartow Kiwanis Club. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 11:00 am at the First United Methodist Church in Bartow with Pastor Roy E. Lowe officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Bartow, 455 S. Broadway Ave., Bartow, Florida 33830.