David Leon Williams

1922 - 2019

David Leon Williams, 79, died shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, Feb. 6, 2019, He had received the love, warmth and kisses of his wife, daughter-in-law and grandsons shortly before passing.
David was born in 1939 in Upland, California. He was raised in Ontario, California, and San Clemente, California. Finishing junior high, he entered Webb School for Boys, graduating from this outstanding high school in 1959. He then attended Colorado College, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a year. In 1962, he volunteered for the draft, became a military policeman in the U.S. Army, and served in France and Germany before being honorably discharged.
On July 20, 1968, he married Bonnie Inger Toxby in Santa Barbara, California. Their son, Jason David Williams, was born in 1969.
After helping build a unique 44-foot fiberglass sailboat, David worked for Boeing, building fiberglass nose cones for aircraft. When David and Bonnie married, he moved the family to Santa Barbara, where he first worked in the Santa Barbara Paint Factory. He then apprenticed as a carpenter, completing the program in the standard four years. He worked as both a carpenter and as a contractor. In 1975, he, Bonnie and Jason drove to Fairbanks in a pickup with camper, towing a car loaded with tools. After exploring all areas of Alaska, they settled in Fairbanks and lived here ever since.
David's great enjoyment in Alaska included cross-country skiing and snowmachining in winter, and camping, fly fishing and hiking in the summer. He and his family greatly enjoyed every opportunity to practice and improve their firearms skills. With many trips outside, he and his family had wonderful sailing experiences outside Seattle, off California, into Mexico, in the Virgin Islands and along Turkey and Greece.
David was preceded in death by his mother, Katheryn Louise; his father, Robert Norman; and his son, Jason David. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; his daughter-in-law, Michele; grandsons, Robert and George; his sister, Jan, and her husband, Peter; Jan's daughters, Heidi and Marina, and son, Adam, and their spouses and children; David's brother-in-law, Peter, and wife, Sharon; Peter's sons, Tom and Stefan, and daughter, Nini, their spouses and children.
An outdoor service will be held at 10 a.m. June 14 at the Northern Lights Memorial Cemetery, 2318 Yankovich Road.