Gerald Andrew Williams

1950 - 2012

Gerald Andrew Williams came into this world on September 8, 1950 in Houston, Texas, the son of JoAnn Selcer Williams and Lee Conway Williams. He died in his sleep Monday, June 11, 2012. Andy's life-long passion for performance started early, with an accordion and a role as a sheep in a Christmas play. A skinny kid, Andy added guitar and emulating Marty Robbins and the Beatles to his resume when he saw that musicians got as much attention from girls as sports heroes. He built the sheep role into a life of acting and stagecraft that brought decades of enjoyment to local theater lovers, performing in dozens of productions at Austin College and with the Sherman Community Players, SCP's Studio Players, and Theatricks children's theater.

Andy grew up in Alief, Texas, and graduated with honors from Lancaster High School in 1969, earning the "Golden Slide Rule" as outstanding math student. While in high school he took wood shop, which served him well, first as a carpenter and later as technical director and technical theater teacher to nearly 40 years of Austin College students.

Andy studied English and Communication Arts at Austin College, and there he met and married life-long sweetheart Kathy Fowler Williams. Their wedding on May 15, 1971 in Wynne Chapel at Austin College was performed as a play – their final project for a theater class. This Saturday, June 30 at 3 p.m., Wynne Chapel will be the location of a gathering of Andy's friends and family to celebrate his life. A reception will follow at 5 p.m. in the Beardsley Arena Theater.

Andy's passions for teaching, theater production, acting, and music were upstaged only by his devotion to family. Andy is survived by soulmate Kathy and two daughters - Autumn Williams Keiser, her husband Jon and their children Jacob Andrew and Suzannah, all of Austin; and Laurel Jade Williams and her fiancé Ash Hilton of Nelson, New Zealand, and their sons Henry and Truman. In addition to the family he and Kathy created, Andy is survived by his mother of Smithfield, N.C.; sister Gail McLean and her husband Geoff and their children Evan and Ashleigh, all of Nelson, N.Z.; his brother Jeff Williams and his wife Deb and their sons Logan and Austin, all of Raleigh, N.C.; his sisters-in-law Susie Fowler and her son Redford Cole Lindsay; Deedy Atkins, her husband Dudley and their children Eric Lee, Alex Lee and Samantha Denby, all of the Austin area; his brothers-in-law Jimmy Fowler and his son Austin of Columbus, Indiana; and Al Fowler and his wife Jackie and their daughter Kirsten of Houston and mother-in-law Dot Fowler of Austin. Andy also is survived by his best friends and neighbors Carriejo and Kevin Higgins and their son Alex, all of Tom Bean. Andy was preceded in death by his father and his nephew Kirk McLean.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Andy Williams Memorial Technical Theater Scholarship Fund at Austin College.