David Sanford Williamson

David Sanford Williamson
Retired U.S. Navy Captain David Sanford Williamson of Atlanta, Ga., passed away on Jan. 16, 2019.
David was born in Palmyra on March 20, 1922, and was the son of Harry E. Williamson and Adella May Williamson.
He was predeceased by his wives, Mary Alice Van Schoonhoven and Clara Knox (Knoxi) Nunnally Roberts; stepson, William Nunnally Roberts; and grandson-in-law, Daniel Patrick Stewart.
He is survived by his stepsons, James McMullan Roberts Jr. (Susan) of St. Simons Island, Ga., and Roy Nunnally Roberts (Suzanne) of Monroe, Ga.; grandchildren, Catherine Nunnally Roberts Stewart, James McMullan Roberts III, (Jeannie), Anne Knox Roberts Hodges (Allen), Marjorie Tate Roberts le Roux (Andre), Roy Nunnally Roberts Jr., Marshall Polk Roberts (Shannon), Mary Lee Roberts and William Nunnally Roberts Jr.; and 13 great-grandchildren.
David attended Palmyra Classical Union School, College of William and Mary and Cornell University. Three days after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended Navy flight school to become an ensign and naval aviator. He flew in Black Cat Squadron VP-11 in the Pacific and in Bombing Squadron 103 in Europe. He captained his B-24 bomber on the first Navy mission on the submarine pens and German submarines operating in the Bay of Biscay.
He was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation reads, "Captain of aircraft; sorties 68, flying hours 631. Lt. Williamson has been engaged on anti-submarine air patrols for many months and has executed his duties with outstanding technical skill and gallantry. He has had frequent combats with superior numbers of aircraft, but these were fought off successfully on each occasion. This officer is a very efficient member of his squadron and has displayed great devotion to duty." He also received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, five air medals, and the Navy Unit Citation.
A lifelong Republican, David served in the Eisenhower administration as special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and later as the first deputy assistant administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency. In the private sector, he was assistant secretary of Alaska Airlines, vice president (internal) of Servo Corporation of America and president of Port Royal Plantation Company of Hilton Head Island, S.C. He then served in the Nixon administration as southeastern regional director of the Department of Commerce.
David was a member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta. He was a member of the Olde Guarde of William & Mary, where he was a member of the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity. He was a former member of Sodus Bay Yacht Club, University Club of Rochester, Aviation Club of Washington, D.C., golf clubs in Hilton Head Island, Capital City Club, Mariners Mutual Investment Club and American Legion Post 134 in Atlanta.
A memorial service for David was held on Friday, January 25, at H.M. Patterson & Son - Spring Hill Chapel, Atlanta.
The family requests that donations be made to George Walton Academy, 1 Bulldog Drive, Monroe, GA 30655; or Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675.