Beth Williams was an extraordinary mother and grandmother, loving daughter/sister/aunt/cousin, incredible friend, and a maverick in her career. Beth died peacefully at home on Saturday, Nov. 25 due to complications from epilepsy. Beth is survived by her son Aaron and his wife Terran (McCanna), her daughter Stacie and son-in-law Kyle (Woods), grandchildren Elias and India, and numerous siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, and surrogate family members.
Beth led a colorful life that was never dull and never cookie-cutter. Beth was an adventurer who loved to push her own boundaries and comfort zones. In Ireland she "bellied up" on the Cliffs of Moher. In Switzerland she rode cable cars up mountainsides ... while admonishing her daughter and nephew to stop moving because their movement would cause the car to drop off the cable. Everywhere she went, in the states and abroad, she instantly had new friends, and some of those random encounters spawned into friendships that lasted for years.
After her children and grandchildren, the biggest sense of pride she had was for her 23+ years at Skanska USA Building. She started off as a Project Accountant on building sites in trailers. She saw that there was a lack of consistency in the contracts and insurance requirements and took it upon herself to write a manual on standardization. The manual was shared over and over, and as word of its existence was passed around she began training staff on the manual. Cut to years later when she was regarded as the nation's 2nd most expert on construction insurance wording and regulation. She elevated risk mitigation and safety to the point of saving the industry millions of dollars. She could talk shop with guys laying rebar one minute and the next minute be on the phone with a CEO from a huge multi-national insurance company giving her advice as to the correct wording of future insurance policy endorsements.
Beth single-handedly took on the entire construction insurance business in California when someone didn't agree with her interpretation of an endorsement's wording. Multiple lawyers were involved from multiple insurance companies to fight her. In the end, she received a simple email stating that they conceded the interpretation and the wording was corrected. The loss of Beth is a hit to the nation's construction risk industry, but she worked hard to educate others to carry on in her place. Years ago Skanska's Florida division created an annual achievement award for the employee that most contributed to the success of the company in the state. In its inaugural year, Beth was chosen as the recipient and was met with a standing ovation.
Beth loved and was loved. Women wanted to be best friends with her. Men fell head over heels for her. It was the "Beth effect" and we will all terribly miss it in our lives.
In lieu of flowers, you may contribute to the Mike Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund at www.cccc.edu/foundation/give-now/. A celebration of life will be held in Winter Park, Florida at Fiddler's Green Irish Pub & Eatery on Jan. 14th.
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