Benjamin R. Williams

Died Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at the age of 95. Preceded in death by wife of thirty-five years Mariantha “DeeDee” James Williams and brother Harold D. Williams. He is survived by daughters Holly (Mark) Thomas and Robin (John) Cannon, grandchildren Jenny (Craig) Flemingloss of Falls Church, VA; Jamie (Dale) Dubbs; Kim Thomas of Washington D.C.; John Cannon and Annalise Berlinger of Madison, WI; Ben Cannon; great-granddaughter Lydia Marie Flemingloss; sister-in-law Janet James of Loveland OH and many loving nieces and nephews.

Born on February 11, 1923 on the kitchen floor of the farmhouse that his parents built in Whiteside, MO, he grew up close to the extended Williams family in Silex, MO. As a baby he was fed milk strained through Shredded Wheat. As a boy he attended a one room schoolhouse where he rode in a horse drawn buggy with his teacher on a dirt road and where he lefthandedly mastered the use of an inkwell. As a youth he rode the train to Saint Louis to visit his orthodontist and he was proud to tell that he had a baby tooth well into his adulthood.

His college years at Mizzou were interrupted in 1944 when he was drafted into the U.S. Navy to serve in World War II. He was an Engineering Officer on several vessels including a transport vessel on the Yangtze River training Chinese Nationalists. Completing his active duty in August 1946, he continued to serve in the U.S. Naval Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Commander from 1950 to 1970.

Upon his return to Mizzou, he completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and went to work at the Monsanto Plant in Sauget, IL for 35 years. He earned a M.S. in Engineering at Washington University and held positions at Monsanto that culminated in General Superintendent of Distribution and Services.

A life-long Presbyterian, he belonged to the Silex, MO Presbyterian Church before transferring his membership to Webster Groves Presbyterian Church where he belonged for forty six years, holding offices as Deacon, Elder and Trustee, the last ending in 2010. He was a member of Maplewood Lodge no. 566 A.F. & A.M. being raised to Master Mason on July 1, 1950. He was a member of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States, Men of World Wars, American Legion, National Society of Professional Engineers, Mizzou and Washington University Alumni groups.

Services: 11:00 AM Monday March 19, 2018 at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, 45 W. Lockwood Ave. 63119. The family will receive visitors at 10:00 AM and a reception will follow the service in Fellowship Hall. Memorials may be made to WGPC Early Childhood Center and Ladue Chapel Women’s Association Music Fund. Military Honors Saturday, May 26 at 11:00 AM at Auburn Cemetery, Silex, MO 63377. (www.dignitymemorial.com)