L. William "Bill" Williams

L. William (Bill) Williams, born September 23, 1926, passed away peacefully, January 19, 2013. His family surrounded him. His beloved wife, Sara Warner, a beautiful redhead, who was Miss Savannah, Georgia in 1948, predeceased him in 1998. Bill was a patriotic American who enlisted in the Navy when he was only 17 and served there in World War II. He graduated from the University of Alabama, where he played football on the Varsity squad. His degree was a BA in Economics. Bill was a volunteer in the Korea Conflict and rose to the rank of Major in the US Air Force. He became a Fighter Pilot and was recruited as a U2 Pilot and served in the Intelligence Division. Bill worked on Wall Street, coming to Phoenix in 1961, where he worked for the Valley National Bank and Merrill Lynch, before starting his own firm with Williams KDI Systems, Inc., specializing in Business Intelligence and Counterintelligence. Bill served on the Board of Directors of Rotary 100, Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and Salvation Army Advisory Board. He was past President of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers and Phoenix Sales and Marketing. Bill was Vice Chairman of a United Fund Division and a member of the Newcomer Society of North America. He was active in the Joe Foss Institute as a military veteran volunteer. To promote patriotism, he explained to school children our country's history.

His three children, Brenda Denny, Bonnie Williams and "Bill" Williams, Jr., survive him. Granddaughters, Taryn Van Ausdell, Katie Metko, Brenda Leigh Denny, and great granddaughter, Tessa Van Ausdell, also survive him. The Funeral Service will be at Al Moore-Grimshaw Mortuary, 710 West Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, Arizona at 9:30 AM on Saturday, January 26, 2013. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Salvation Army. Please share a tribute at almoore-grimshaw.com