Joseph Williamson

Joseph Williamson, 90 WESTBROOK -- Joseph Williamson, age 90, of Westbrook died peacefully on Sunday, Dec.13 at the Barron Center. He was born Feb.11, 1919, son of William B. and Ida Gartley Williamson in Auguta where he received his elementary schooling and attended Cony High School before transferring to Governor Dummer Academy, South Byfield, Mass., from which he graduated with Honors in 1936. He attended Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. from which he graduated in June 1940. Following his graduation from college, he enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to the 240th Coast Artillery at Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth. On Feb., 1941, he married Mary Annis Haskell of Leicester, Mass. After five years of service at several military locations, he was honorably discharged as a Captain while serving as the Commanding Officer of Camp Hero, Montauk Point, Long Island, N.Y. Following his military service, he graduated with honors from the Aetna Fire and Casualty Insurance Company's Insurance School in Hartford, Conn. In May of 1946, he accepted a sales position with Macomber, Farr, and Whitten Insurance Agency of Augusta. After 16 years of serving the insurance needs of central Maine, he accepted a position in May 1962 with the Cicciarelli Insurance Agency in Springfield, Mass. In August of 1962, he married Joy Hight Gately, formerly of Portland and Augusta. He remained active in the commercial insurance industry in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. With Joy's assistance, he founded the Insurance Marketing Center of New England in 1975 in Manchester, N.H. which he sold upon his retirement to Maine in 1982. Retirement was brief and he subsequently started a commercial insurance inspection business for Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont which he managed until his final retirement in 1995. He was a leader in many civic affairs which included; the Augusta City Council, Founding President of the of Augusta-Hallowell Junior Chamber of Commerce, President of the Maine State Golf Association, Maine delegate to the United States Golf Association, the Augusta Rotary Joseph Williamson Club, Maine State Republican Party, President of the Augusta Country Club. He was also a member of the Elks, Masons, Eagles, and the American Legion. An ardent golfer, he was the Maine State Amateur Champion in 1941 and the runner up in 1950 and 1954, in addition to being the club champion of the Augusta Country Club on nine occasions between 1936 and 1960. He had the privilege of playing with some of golf's greatest legends including Francis Ouimet, Gene Sarazen, Julius Boros, Patty Berg and Babe Didrikson Zaharias. His most memorable day of golf was on Pearl Harbor Day Dec. 7, 1941 when he had the privilege of playing the Augusta, Ga. CC, Home of the Masters Tournament. His contributions to and great love of the game were recently honored by his induction into the Maine Golf Hall of Fame in September 2009. Joe was predeceased by his wife Joy H. Williamson in August 1999 and by his step-daughter Sharon G. Hannah in May 2004 as well as by his brothers Richard G. in March of 2002 and his brother William B. Jr. in August of 1944. Surviving are his three sons, Joseph, Jr. and his wife Cathy of Pittsford, N.Y., David H. and his wife Jeannie of Fort Myers, Fla. and William B. II and his wife Martha Elbaum of Falmouth; grandchildren include Randall, Marc, Deborah, Lily, Rani and Charlotte; as well as several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be scheduled for the Summer of 2010. To offer words of condolence to the family, sign a guest book and share memories, go to the obituary page at www.independentdeathcare.com. Arrangements are under the guidance of Independent Death Care, 471 Deering Ave., Portland. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: Maine State Golf Association Scholarship Fund MSGA 48 Val Halla Road Cumberland, ME 04021