Bill and Gladys Williams
Obituary
Bill and Gladys Williams
Bill and Gladys passed away within a day of each other. Bill left us on Sunday, August 19, and Gladys the following day. They were born about a month apart, Bill on October 9th and Gladys on November 6th, 1923. They met in Eastern Oregon when they were 9 years old, and after some years of separation met again at college, and were married on August 4, 1946. Gladys graduated from Oregon State University in 1945, and after his service in WWII, Bill graduated from Stanford University in 1948.
Bill was an Engineer for Boeing from 1949 to 1989 and consulted there until 2006. He was Chief Project Engineer for the 737-300 and the 737 400-600 and was Chief Advisor to New Airplane Programs. He took on various roles with Boeing, including leadership in the LaGuardia pier project and the McDonald Douglas merger. In 1985 he was nominated by the editors of Aviation Week and Space Technology for outstanding contributions in the field of aerospace. He held several patents for his work on the 737.
Bill and Gladys were active in their children’s school PTA, founded Flotilla 211 of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and were charter members of what became the Des Moines Yacht Club. Bill and Gladys were enthusiastic boaters and committed parents. Their devotion to one another grew over the years, as Bill took care of Gladys in her last years of illness, and as Gladys patiently remained with us until Bill was ready to go. They were known for their integrity, great generosity and caring, and their legacy is the strength of the fabric of their family. Their guidance, protection and loving presence will be dearly missed.
They are survived by their daughter Terryll, son Mark and two granddaughters Allison and Brianna. A memorial service will be held Sunday, August 26, 2007 at 12:30 AM at Bonney-Watson Washington Memorial, Park, 16445 International Blvd, SeaTac. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org/ in their names.
Teryll/Mark,
I saw the Boeing News article and my mother mailed me the newspaper article. Please accept my condolonces.
I had the distinct privilege of working with Bill Williams on the Boeing 737 Airplane series. He quickly applied his outstanding technical and program management capabilities in the development of the Boeing 737-300 Program. His empathy. professionalism and sincerity in all of his coordination with fellow employees set a high standard that all admired and aspired. He truly leaves an admirable professional legacy and personal life history of continuing love and service. I shall cherish my memories of him forever.
Don McGlothlen
My grief is share with your family, I remember your Dad and his visits to Va. when I was a child. I am honored to have known a man who was such a mentor to my family Mike and Janet and a friend to my dad. He has blessed many with wonderful memories. God Bless your family.
I had the priviledge of working for
Bill for many years both on the SST
and the 737 programs. He was both a
mentor and a greatly respected friend,an example of excellence to all of us who work in the Aircraft
Industry.
Hello Mark and Teryll;
Heartfelt condolences from a longtime friend of your Mom and Dad. Be aware that i heve thought of them often as i have fought my own battle with Lymphoma and effects of Chemotherapy.
Neil Driver
To The Williams Family,
I work with Bill at the Boeing Company for many years and help with his Retirement Party. Bill was a very personal person to work with and to know. I always look back at assignment we were given and enjoyed. It is something to look back and think how fortunate we were to work with Bill.
My prayers are with his Family.
Pat Coluccio
Thinking about you today, Terryll. I do so honor the devotion your folks had to one another and the loving devotion you’ve shown them…it’s a heavenly thing.
Love,
Carol Peringer
Terryll:
We were so sorry to learn of your parents passing, please know you will remain in our thoughts and prayers. Love, Don and Mary
Dear Terryll,
Know that we are holding you in our hearts tenderly, as you bid adieu to your mom and dad.
Be well.
Bill was the finest gentleman I had the pleasure of working with at The Boeing Company. He was the quintessential Engineering manager making individuals, teams and programs better by his presence and participation. His knowledge of product and process were legendary and his counsel without equal.
If heaven exists, it is a better place with the arrival of Bill & Gladys. If reincarnation is, let us pray Bill is not destined for Airbus.
Terryll,
I was sorry to read of your loss. I still remember your mother’s smile and the friendliness of both of your parents. The world was lucky to have had them in it. My thoughts are with you at this time. Sue Silverman
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. You and your family will always be remembered as dear neighbors on 28th S.W
Sue, Scott and Bob McConnell
I worked with Bill on a number of airplane programs at Boeing as well as on many preliminary design studies of planes never built. He was an outstanding engineer who had a great feeling for airplane conceptual and detail design and the multple compromises that have to be made to make a design a success. The results of his thinking and leadership will be flying through our skies for many years.
During critical design development meetings for the “New Generation” 737, I felt privileged to be present at many deciding moments when Bill – then in his consulting role – often saved the day with his exceptional insights and wry humor. His thumb prints are everywhere in that airplane, and Boeing is a better company for his having been part of it for four decades.
It was an honor an pleasure to work with Bill at Boeing. He was a great engineer who was principaled and insightful in his work. He tackled problems with gusto and had a broad knowlege of what makes sense for airplane configurations that were responsive to airline requirements within the capabilities of the Boeing company.Our condolences to the family of Bill and Gladys.
Mavin and Rosemary Wehrman
Althought I did not know your parents, I was genuinely touched by their story. My sincere condolences on your loss.
When reading the paper I often glance at the obituaries, never stopping to read them unless it involves a child. Today that changed as I read the obituaries for Bill and Gladys Williams. While I never knew them, I have a sense of the love they shared. In today’s time marriage has lost most of its luster. It is thrown haphazardly to the wind. I want to thank Bill and Gladys Williams for loving each other until the end, and I am sure in the afterlife also.
HI: I was at lunch today reading the paper and saw this article in the paper, I could not help myself, I had to read it. I love airplanes, and I am an old school romantic at heart. These 2 people, are how I want to live my life, they are what America was built on, this is what loves means, in the end the love that they had was the only thing that mattered to either one of them. How wonderful the life of true love, even in the end. Mr. Williams built planes to last, and both Mr.&Mrs.Williams built a love that nothing could destroy, not even illness.
My prayers go out to this wonderful, proud family, and my hopes of true love shine through in this beautiful couple.
GOD BLESS MR. AND MRS.WILLIAMS.
Growing up I remember your dad coming to visit, and many storys or boasting of events back home, ,,we always enjoyed his company, not many can as easly see the differences one person made, or the many lives one person touches, he will be missed, and missed by many
Bill and Gladys are a part of many fond memories I have from around 1950 when the French and Williams families, and others would gather at Uncle Lee and Aunt Annies ranch for 4th of July celebrations.
Two lives so perfectly entwined on earth will continue to be together through all eternity.
I’m so sorry to hear of Bill and Gladys’ passing. They were both good friends to me. They used to call themselves my “West Coast Parents”. They attended my wedding, lent me their beach house in Lincoln City for my honeymoon and were loyal friends. When my sister came from Philadelphia for a visit, they took us both to dinner in Kirkand at the Foghorn and after dinner Gladys insisted that Bill drive the four of us around Seattle so that my sister could see the city. Gladys would describe the sights as we passed them AND give Bill directions. They were a wonderful couple. Bill’s devotion to Gladys during these past few years was unwavering. He took the “in sickness and in health” part of his marriage vows very seriously. He sat by Glady’s bed daily. He spoke of their family with pride and would give me updates on his granddaughters each time we’d talk. He’d bring photos of them and show them to me with pride.
Bill and Gladys will be missed by me and I’m sure many others that were fortunate enough to have known them.
Dorothy