George Drake Williams

COLUMBIA - George Drake Williams, age 88, passed from this world July 16, 2022, after a short hospital stay. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Charlotte Ann Williams, and children Thomas, Martha, and Stephen, 7 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.

George was born October 5, 1933 to Elizabeth Drake and Thomas Berry Williams of Winchester Kentucky. He started his life in this world son of a farmer and worked on the farm through the WW2 years. He was a member of 4H, raised cattle, cut, and bailed hay, and participated in various activities to support the war effort. George was president of high school senior class, an eagle scout, and played football, golf, basketball, and ran track.

George was an avid golfer and played with the Kentucky State Golf team, at the National Junior Amateur tournament, with teammates Gay Brewer (latter pro golfer), Merrit Marcus, and John Brown Jr. (latter CEO of KFC). He also played in the Alaskan State Amateur golf tournament and came in second to Butch Harmon (Tiger Woods coach). He continued his passion for the sport throughout his life, and well into his senior years was active in the “Old Guard” league that traveled around the state of SC.

George was attending college at the University of Kentucky when he left school in support of the Korean War effort, joining the Air Force and working as a propeller mechanic at the 4925 Atomic Test Group , Kirtland AFB. He later cross trained into electronics ultimately becoming a member of the White House Communications Association (WHCA) serving Presidents Johnson and Nixon, as well as staff and presidential succession, establishing and maintaining communications link back to the U.S.A. during trips abroad. This took George to 50 countries, culminating in a historic trip to China with President Nixon in 1972 that eased the nuclear standoff, and established relations broken after WW2. After USAF retirement, George worked as a communications systems engineer for Motorola and Central Electric Cooperative designing the communications portion of load management systems, keeping peak power demand low to reduce all our power bills (thanks dad!).

George married his high school sweetheart Ann in 1954, and together raised their three kids as they moved through 18 different homes. From New Mexico to gulf coast, to DC area, mid-west and even Alaska. The family lived in Anchorage Alaska during the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964, when George made a tenuous trek from base to home just after the quake, with much of the trip in foot. He kept the family grounded by making frequent trips to the “home base”, Winchester Kentucky, where the bulk of the relatives lived. He spoke fondly of the support of his and mom’s parents especially during the early years of marriage. George made it a point to attend a lot of kids events, especially in the post service years (He and mom made the Walkersville MD Yearbook at one of the rainy football games). George loved football, Clemson and Carolina, which lead to some tension, but all in fun. George bought his first home in 1972, Irmo SC, where he and Ann finished raising their kids, and enjoyed their grandkids. He worked in the yard pretty much up to the end. In the latter years, he and Ann would attend church at Union UMC, drink coffee with his buddies at McDonalds solving the world’s problems, and eat out at every restaurant in Irmo, but especially the Lizard’s Thicket, because its food was most like what mom made. In George’s autobiography he mentions his great love for Ann and family.

George did not talk much about his faith, but did recall his early years in Sunday School at the Methodist church, and how he attended Catholic school for a time. I remember distinctly a time in which he used his few words to let me know plain and clear the existence of our Creator and Savior. Dad always gave reports of who was at church at Irmo Union UMC, on Sundays and what the sermons were about. After COVID he was a regular observer of the Charles Stanley InTouch programs on TV. He spoke and wrote quite a bit on the high moral standard necessary for our free society to continue.

Dad we love you and will miss you.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 22, 2022 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, with visitation from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. prior to the service.

Memorials may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.