NORWAY – William Burke Smith Jr., 88, of Andover, died in Norway on Thursday, Dec. 28, after a long illness.

He was born in Presque Isle on April 22, 1918, the son of William and Florence (Wood) Smith. He moved to Quincy, Mass., in 1925 and graduated from Quincy High School in 1935. He received a mechanical engineering degree from Northeastern University, and later spent five years in the U.S. Army, three of which were spent overseas in Africa, Algeria, Sicily, Italy, Southern France and Germany. He earned six battle stars.

William married Rita Matthews on Jan. 19, 1946.

He had been employed by Boston Edison, was an engineer on the building of a nuclear power plant, Pilgrim 1, in Plymouth, Mass. He was a pioneer in the development and implementation of a very important safety program for preservice and inservice inspection of boiling water and pressure water reactors to comply with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code section 11, 1969.

He wrote welding procedures for the nuclear power plant and had them certified, as well as the welders who used them. He developed and implemented a lubrication program for the nuclear plant and was an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), American Nuclear Society and a contributor to the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM).

When Pilgrim 1 went online, he returned to the fossil generation power plants and completely reorganized the power plant maintenance group, including establishing and implementing an apprentice school.

He and Rita had three children, William III, Janet and Karen. Rita passed away in 1978.

He married Paula Percival Putnam in 1983. He moved from Newton, Mass., to Andover after his marriage to Paula, and they lived in her home.

He enjoyed all outside activities and especially enjoyed time spent at his summer cottage on Lake Webb in Weld.

He was a trustee for five years at the Andover Congregational Church and was an active member and for three years a director in the Webb Lake Association. He was vice president of the Maine chapter of the 1918 Club. (To belong to this club, you must have been born in 1918.) He and his wife, Paula, enjoyed attending local meetings and national conventions.

He was an avid sports fan and religiously followed all high school, college and professional sports, especially the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

Bill was a 33rd degree Mason, belonging to the Bethel Lodge and a member of the Kora Temple Shrine in Lewiston. He belonged to the funsters and for many years was “Dumbo the Elephant” in shrine parades all over the state of Maine. He belonged to the Snow Valley Sno Goers Snowmobile Club of Andover and the Maine Snowmobile Association

He is survived by his wife, Paula Percival Putnam Smith of Andover and Weld; one son, William B. Smith III of South Hamilton, Mass.; daughters, Janet Smith Russo and her husband, Gildo, of Watertown, Mass., and Karen Smith Gowan and her husband, Sam, of Bolston Lake, N.Y.; stepsons, John E. Putnam and his wife, Sonja, of Weaverville, N.C., Joel W. Putnam of Andover and Joshua D. Putnam of Seabrook Island, S.C.; nine grandchildren, Joshua, Trevor and Spencer Gowan, Shena Connelly and Max Mader, Amy, Peter, Michael and Julia Smith; and 13 step-grandchildren, John, Aaron, and Leslie Putnam, Jessica, Joel Ryan, Jeremy, Jennalee, Joseph, Jodi, Jacob, and Julia Putnam, Joshua, Jared and Jordan Putnam.