William (Bill) Howard Schmidt, Jr. age 82 of Franklin, TN passed away December 21, 2023. He was born in Orlando, FL but quickly made Franklin, TN his home. Bill loved hot rods and anything to do with fast cars, as well as looking through his very large collection of Hot Rod magazines. He knew everyone and never met a stranger. If he didn’t know you then you definitely looked familiar, or he knew of you. He served in the US Navy with an honorable discharge from the USS Waller in the Fifth Naval District and went on to retire from Vanderbilt power plant after 25 years. He is preceded in death by his parents, William Howard Sr. & Dee Schmidt and Jean & Ed Hatfield; sister, Althea (Bugajean) Brown. William is survived by his wife of 60 years, Judy Schmidt of Franklin, TN; sons, Trey Schmidt of Franklin, TN, Randy (Alice) Schmidt of Spring Hill, TN, John Schmidt of Shelbyville, TN and Mike (Carey) Schmidt of Franklin, TN; daughter, Susan (Tim) Bennett of Thompsons Station, TN; brother in-law, Donald Brown of Pegram, TN; grandchildren, Jen (Mitch) Dyer, TJ (Hali) Bennett, James Schmidt, Mason Schmidt, Taylor (Tim) Thomas, Cody Schmidt, Hannah Bennett, Jacob Schmidt; great-grandchildren, Addy & Aubree Atkins, Ellie Dyer, Knox Bennett, Nathan Thomas; many other loving family members. Funeral service will be held 11:00AM Wednesday, December 27, 2023 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. Jim Taylor will officiate. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association. Visitation will be 4-8PM Tuesday and one hour prior to the service at WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 615-794-2289.
