Frank E. Williams, Jr., age 91, of Vienna, VA passed away peacefully on February 2, 2026.
After graduating college and serving in the US Navy, Frank founded and partnered in multiple companies in the construction industry, primarily in Virginia and Georgia, where he was originally from. He successfully guided Williams Industries through an IPO in 1972, allowing it to be publicly traded on the NASDAQ for decades. The company remains active in the construction industry and was ranked the ninth largest specialty steel contractor in the nation in 2025 by Engineering News Record. Williams' subsidiaries are known for their role in the construction of a number of landmarks around the country including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Bank of America Plaza, the Greater New Orleans River Bridge, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Phillips Arena. Frank was a founding director of the Institute of the Ironworking Industry, the construction industry's first labor and management trade association dedicated to union ironworking, which survives today as the Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (I.M.P.A.C.T.).
Frank was also well-known for his shareholder activism in the banking industry and was often sought out for his insight. He was appointed by bankruptcy courts as an official representative serving in a pro bono capacity on behalf of investors and debt holders of publicly traded companies. Among other positions, he served on numerous boards of directors in need of his expertise, including Capital Bank of Rockville, MD and its holding company.
Frank was actively involved in numerous other pursuits beyond the construction and banking industries. He was an avid sports fan, attending with family and friends forty Super Bowls in a row, numerous ACC basketball tournaments, NASCAR events, and Georgia Tech football and basketball games. He served on the board of the Military Bowl and as a Trustee of the Georgia Institute of Technology Alumni Association, where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering in 1956. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame in 2012 and has established scholarships at both Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern in Statesboro, GA, where he and his wife grew up.
Frank was a founder of his local church, the Northern Virginia Primitive Baptist Church, which worshipped out of his house until a building could be purchased. He served as a deacon of the church until he was physically unable, and was the President of the Primitive Baptist Foundation, the denomination's national organization, for many years.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Billie Z. Williams, son Frank E. Williams, III and daughter-in-law Paula Williams, son H. Arthur Williams and daughter-in-law Susan Williams, granddaughter Katy Williams, and grandson Josh Williams.
Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on February 4, from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Money & King Funeral Home, and a funeral service at Northern Virginia Primitive Baptist Church on February 5 at 11:00 AM. The family requests that any memorial contributions be made to Northern Virginia Primitive Baptist Church.
https://www.moneyandking.comPublished by The Washington Post on Feb. 4, 2026.