William “Bill” Smith Christenberry
William “Bill” Smith Christenberry went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ early in the morning on April 30, 2024. Graveside services will be held at the Pavilion at the Whispering Waters Garden in Highland Memorial Cemetery on May 18, 2024 at 1:00 in the afternoon. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur Leonard Christenberry and Mattie Irene Smith Christenberry. He is survived by his wife Bobbie Jean Layne Christenberry, his daughters, Karen Darlington (and Jim) and Susan Mitchell (and John), sister Anne Christenberry-Bell, grandchildren Jake Darlington, Caroline Darlington, Barrett Darlington, Micah Darlington, Joshua Darlington, Meredith Darlington, Gediyon Darlington, JT Darlington, Benjamin Mitchell, and Sarah Mitchell, and great grandchildren Kate Darlington and Grace Anne Darlington (due in June).
The family would like to thank all the caregivers at Sunrise at Bluemont Park in Arlington where our Dad spent his last 5 years in memory care. You are our angels!
Bill was born in the Oak ridge area on May 28, 1933. His parents moved to South Knoxville when he was 3 and his sister 4. He attended Giffin Elementary School, South Knox Junior High School, and Knoxville High School. He was in the last graduating class of Old Knox High and was very active in keeping the history of that school alive. In high school he played multiple sports, loved singing in the choir and was a leader in the Air Force ROTC program, attending boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base after a deferral to attend Yale University.
Bill obtained his Bachelor of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University in 1955. He then earned his Master of Automotive Engineering from Chrysler Institute of Engineering in Detroit, Michigan. In 1962 he earned a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in Boston. While working as an engineer for Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation in Atlanta, he met Bobbie Jean Layne at First Baptist Church in Atlanta, and they were married on June 23, 1962. They happily welcomed their two daughters a few years later. Following his career in Atlanta, Bill moved his family back home to Knoxville to earn his Doctor of Business Administration degree in 1976 from the University of Tennessee. Bill served in many positions utilizing his engineering background in the aeronautical industry including for the U.S. Army, Continental Army Command, and Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Bill also served in positions in the energy and environmental sectors for TRW, Inc., Henningson, Durham and Richardson, and Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc.
Bill enjoyed many years of Christian fellowship and service in several Baptist churches throughout his life, and was a member of First Baptist Church of Knoxville, with his wife Bobbie, since 1994. Bill especially enjoyed singing in the choir and serving as a deacon. He was also a member of the Sons of the Revolution where he served on the Board of Managers and assisted in editing articles for Drumbeat, the Journal for the Sons of the Revolution. He was an avid NASCAR enthusiast and an active member of the Sports Car Club of America.
Bill spent his life perfecting his Christian faith—taking care of others, especially his family, consistently serving in the church, participating in mission trips, and above all, sharing the gospel with any who would hear. Love epitomized Bill’s life from the opening of his and Bobbie’s home to many college students, to his corny jokes that never failed to make us laugh, and in his ready smile. “Love is patient, love is kind . . . . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” I Cor. 13:4, 7. That was our Dad. Even in the midst of grappling with dementia, his love for Jesus expressed in his joy for life and consideration for others still shown bright and was a consistent blessing to all of us in Bill’s later years.
We will always miss him dearly, but we do not grieve without hope. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Thess. 4:14.
Memories may be shared at www.berryhighlandmemorial.com