Letter to the Editor

Thank you to everyone: Pawhuska Ambulance Service, Pawhuska Hospital, Dr. Amberson, McCartney Funeral Home, First United Methodist Church, Family, Friends, and the Pawhuska School District, Zachry Industries, Ashlee and Rod Hartness, and many individuals for your condolences, flowers, food, cards, and support throughout this horrible loss of my husband and best friend, William “Bill” Lee Smith on Monday, March 17.

For those of you that do not know the circumstances behind his death: on March 14 he had his spleen removed due to a blood issue called ITP. He had been battling this since approximately November of 2013. After several tests they declared that the ITP was the cause of his low platelet count.

We came home from the hospital on Saturday March 15th. He was doing fine as expected and then Sunday night he gradually became uncomfortable, in pain, and irritable. At 4:30 a.m. the next morning I heard a crash in the kitchen. Ambulance was called. The EMT’s did CPR till 5:10 a.m. He was transported to Pawhuska Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:30 a.m. It was declared that a blood clot had worked lose resulting in his death.

Why am I telling you this? Because as we all know, in a small town, there are those who have come up with their own ideas of why he passed and to say the least, they are quite slanderous, demeaning, and disgraceful. I want all of you to know the true facts so that you may correct any errors of information floating around Pawhuska.

Again, I thank you ALL for your prayers, flowers, and well wishes sent our way. It truly does help ease the pain of this devastating loss. He is and always will be greatly missed. His favorite quote, which he has proved to be fact:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Phil: 4:13

Susie Bernd Smith

P.S. I sincerely apologize if I inadvertently left anyone out of this letter. There are so many people who have been a positive part of our lives that it would take a full page advertisement to name them all.