ALFRED WILLIAMS

Alfred Williams Passed away peacefully at age 85 on August 29th, 2011 of complications from neurosurgery following a fall, in Olympia, Washington. His son Nathan Williams and Nathan's wife Yoshie were by his side. A memorial service will be held at The United Churches of Olympia on September 18th, 2011 at 1:00 pm. Alfred was born on March 9th, 1926 in Everett, Washington to Melanie Bennewitz and Willi Baldig. Alfred had a good life, rich with experiences of the best and the worst of the 20th century, and a peek at the 21st. He went from sawmill work with lard sandwiches for lunch during the Great Depression, to graduating from Snohomish High School in 1943 and seeing the Japanese mainland after the end of WWII while serving in the United States Navy. He was the first person from his family to graduate from college, with a degree in Electronic Engineering from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, California in 1958. While a challenging engineering career included designing the Aural Warning System for the Boeing 757 jetliner, and a master's degree in Software Engineering from Seattle University, his greatest accomplishment was winning the heart of Shirley Beck, marrying her in 1957, and raising two sons with her. Moving often in their early years, Frederick was born in San Luis Obispo in 1958 and Nathan in Wareham, Massachusetts in 1960. After settling in Kent, Washington for several years, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1969, where Alfred worked for Hughes Aircraft until moving back to Kirkland, Washington for Boeing in 1978. Alfred and Shirley shared a life in Kirkland until her sudden passing in 1992, at only 63. A naturally quiet person, Alfred made a conscious effort to make a new life in Olympia, Washington, reaching out to make new friends, researching family history and contacting relatives, and pursuing a variety of interests. A lifetime amateur radio enthusiast, he became active in the Radio Club of Tacoma, participated in contests using his home-brew computer-controlled transmitter, and was Vice President of the Olympia Microcomputer Users Group. Alfred was a bicyclist, photographer, fisherman, hiker, gardener, camper, and Scout leader who shared his love of the outdoors with family and friends. He is survived by his sons Frederick and Nathan Williams, their wives Sylvia and Yoshie, and many friends, who will all remember him with fondness for the rest of our lives. While we are left to muddle through somehow, Alfred and Shirley are reunited in Heaven, and are positively beaming. K7PUC is signing off.