John Charles Richard Williams

John Charles Richard Williams, 86, of Coral Springs, Florida, passed away Saturday, August 16, 2025, at home. He was born March 25, 1939, in Felin Fach, Upper Cwmtwrch, Swansea Valley, Wales, U.K. to Edfys ‘Jack’ and Winnifred ‘Winnie’ (Donnegan) Williams. The family moved from the London area back to Wales as part of the evacuee program at the start of World War II.

John attended primary and secondary school in Wales and later attended the Royal Air Force Military Engineering College in Western Super Mare, Somerset, England. He spent 25 years in the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) and was posted to numerous bases in the U.K., Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, and Changi in Singapore.

John left the R.A.F. in 1978 and began his journey into civil airlines. Through the years he worked for various companies including Transmeridian Air Cargo in the U.K.; Cypress Airways, in Cyprus; and, Saudi Arabian Airlines in Jeddah, which at that time was run by TWA. They sent him to Kansas City in the U.S. for about a year and then back to Jeddah for a couple of years. After that he joined Cathay Pacific and was relocated to Hong Kong for 10 years. Next, he joined Virgin Atlantic Airlines, and they only had two aircraft at the time with routes to Newark, New Jersey, and Miami, Florida. Later, while still flying, he became a Ground School Instructor, Simulator Instructor, and a Check Airman (examined the flight crew) for Virgin Atlantic. John ended his flying career on the 747, which he thought was the most magnificent airplane in the sky!

On one of his trips to Boston, his life forever changed when he met Cheryl (Pittman) Babcock, who was in Boston attending a conference at Babson College. It was the last night of the television show Cheers, and they ended up sitting next to each other in a crowd of 400 people at a Cheers watch party. John’s career was in the U.K., and Cheryl’s was across the pond in the U.S., so for several years their romance was like the movie, Same Time Next Year, and they met monthly in various places around the world. They married on July 20, 2001, on a riverboat on the St. Croix River in Stillwater, Minnesota. A year later, they relocated to Florida and continued creating memories.

John and Cheryl enjoyed traveling and exploring numerous cities and places in the U.S. and the U.K. as well as Australia, Cuba, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Wales, and many of the Caribbean Islands.

John also loved flying privately and joined a Flying Club at Old Sarum outside Salsbury, England. He frequently flew a Cessna, a Slingsby, and a Piper Warrior 146 (his favorite to fly), with Cheryl often accompanying him. John said their flights resulted in paying 50£ for a cup of coffee when they stopped at the Isle of Wight or elsewhere, due to the high cost of fuel.

John loved family on both sides of the pond and often had family and friends listening raptly as he knew so much about history and the world. John also loved dogs and had many throughout his life. He loved other people’s pets as well and typically had a treat for them. He had a soft spot for any animal and was known to take struggling wildlife to the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital in Coral Springs.

Survivors include his wife, Cheryl (Pittman) Babcock of Coral Springs, stepson, Chad (Jenney) Babcock, Olathe, Kansas; stepdaughter, Heather (Babcock) Nedich, Pompano Beach, Florida; six grandchildren, Austen (Sarah) Williams, Harlow, Essex, U.K.; Alex Williams, London, U.K.; Quinn Babcock, Fort Worth, Texas; Berkley, Gus, and Ruby Babcock, Olathe, Kansas; one great granddaughter, Sienna Williams, Harlow, Essex, U.K.; sister, Shan (Ron) Locke, Pantyffynnon, Ammanford, Wales, U.K.; sister-in-law, Lavon Behrens, Adams, Nebraska; four nieces; and numerous cousins.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Edfys ‘Jack’ and Winnie Williams; his son, Andrew Charles Williams; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Bob, and Betty Pittman; and, brother-in-law, Terry Pittman.

John is “flying west” on his final flight heading toward the setting sun, a flight we will all take someday.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Woman’s Club of Deerfield Beach on Saturday, October 4 from 2:00-5:00 pm. His final resting place will be at Highland Cemetery in Adams, Nebraska, in the summer of 2026 with a graveside service. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in John’s honor to the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital in Coral Springs, Florida (online giving by clicking the link in the donations section).