SMS Holdings founder dies at 48

William T. Coakley, 48, founder and chairman of SMS Holdings, one of Nashville's most successful companies, died Thursday.

Visitation will be held at the Cathedral of the Incarnation Friday from 4-8 p.m., with a Rosary prayer to be said at 7 p.m. The Mass of Resurrection is 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cathedral, 2015 West End Ave. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

"Bill was a mentor, a partner, a relative and a cherished friend to me," said Keith Wolken, Coakley's brother-in-law and business partner. "I know I speak for all of the employees of SMS Holdings when I say that we have lost a truly special individual."

Coakley is survived by his wife, Kim; children Leslie, Emily, Maggie, Abby and Joseph; four sisters, Regina & Mark Dessauer of Kingsport, Tenn., Jeannette & David Evans of Libertyville, Ill., Anne & Steve Houston of Lady Lake, Fla. and Catherine Belisle of Bloomfield, N.J. He was the son of the late Jeanne and Joseph Coakley of Gallatin.

Mr. Coakley was a native of New Orleans, La. At the age of 9, his family moved to the Nashville area, where he graduated from Father Ryan High School in 1974. He attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, receiving his degree in business in 1978.

While in college, he cleaned buildings as a part-time job and recognizing the growing trend toward outsourcing these services, he created his company in 1988. SMS now provides management, security and staffing services to shopping centers and aviation industries at 340 locations in 42 states and employs over 10,000 individuals. Coakley was recognized by Ernst and Young in 2002 as Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southeastern United States.

A devout Catholic, he served on various boards and committees for the church and particularly the Dominican Campus in Nashville, providing support for everything from buildings to soccer fields.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the William T. Coakley Memorial Bridge Fund, c/o the Dominican Campus, 4210 Harding Pike, Nashville, Tenn. 37205.

- Staff Report