Louis Pitchlynn "Pitch" Williams

It was on June 23, 1954 in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, that Louis Pitchlynn Williams was born to Helen Letitia “Skitty” Ledbetter and Ralph Wilbert Williams of McCurtain, Oklahoma. Pitch was named after his grandfather, Brigadier General Louis Albert Ledbetter and his dear friend, Peter Pitchlynn, Governor of the Choctaw Nation.

Pitch was raised in a loving multi-generational household by his mother Skitty, his sister Stephanie Ann Sick and his brother Ralph Walter Williams. Pitch’s early education began at Villa Teresa Catholic School when the family moved to Oklahoma City. He continued his education at Edgemere Elementary and graduated from Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in 1972.

Pitch is fondly remembered by his life-long friends as a practical joker. He always enjoyed making others laugh! John Thompson recalls, “It’s my junior year in Edmond high school, 3rd hour Latin class. Everyone hears a rumbling sound of a hot rod car. Out the window we see a silver jacked-up Mustang letting us all know it was there. Driving the car was some guy wearing a motorcycle helmet with no shield. Of course, it was Pitch giving me the signal to excuse myself from school because we had better things to do. I did, and you can probably guess what those better things were!”

Another unforgettable adolescent adventure took place when Pitch and his good friend Will Hector went to Hawaii and Japan at age 17. They traveled around Japan unfettered without any understanding of the language. Everything was good until they took a cruise of Tokyo Bay where they were serving free beer. It wasn’t long before they were taken under the wings of a group of Japanese tourists who were also taking advantage of the free flowing beer. When Pitch and Will got off the boat (more than tipsy) they ended up in a bay side bar where they were shanghaied and had to be rescued by Pitch’s sister Stephanie, who paid their ransom.

All fun aside, John T also remembers the deeply compassionate and empathetic side of Pitch saying, “What 20 year old would go spend time with a 68 year old disabled man, in the dead of the winter, on a so- called ranch in Northeastern Oklahoma by himself?! Pitch is that guy!!”

A few years later, in 1978, Pitch was introduced to Gina Hartig by his friends Monique and Will Hector. After that, they were inseparable. By 1980, they were married and living in Barrington, Rhode Island. During their 5 years there, Pitch attended Roger Williams College, in Bristol, RI. He also received training in Furniture Design and Construction at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI. While in school Pitch built dock systems for the Barrington Yacht Club.

Pitch had a deep-rooted love for animals. It all started with his horse Glory, which he often rode to school for show and tell. The couple started out with 3 dogs; Gus, his English Setter, Mac, their Golden Retriever and Sash, a wayward German Shepherd. Soon Kramer, a marmalade tabby, found them and fearlessly joined the pack.

Everywhere Pitch & Gina went, the animals would be on board. They seemed to always be together, whether it was going for swims in lakes, cruising around the park, out for drive or just taking a walk around the block.

It was 1985 when Pitch & Gina moved to Lakewood in Dallas, Texas, near Whiterock Lake, where Pitch began building, then managing, residential construction projects with Randy Clowdus Construction. Early in his tenure, Pitch formed a solid skill set in fine homebuilding. He had quite a few years under his belt when he lost ¼ inch of his index finger in a table saw accident. Not more than a month later, he was back building, and also considering the management side of construction.

Soon afterward, the couple moved to Winnetka, Illinois. In 1989, they started Pitch Williams Construction, a small independent business with a unique concierge approach to construction management. Working with contractors and craftsmen, Pitch choreographed many large scale building projects, both new construction and remodeling in Chicago and the North Shore. It was then and there too, that Hank, aka “Hankerman”, a bundle of chocolate Labrador fur, became part of the family!

His nephew David reminds us of how Pitch enjoyed lots of time off with his extended family and friends, from skiing throughout Colorado, to scuba diving in Indonesia, to feasting through the wine country, to exploring Europe, Egypt and the Far East; he was always on the go!

During many of these holidays, excitement found Pitch, whether it was being chased by a barracuda up onto a reef while snorkeling in the Bahamas or getting stung by a scorpion on safari in Kenya. Niece Jill recalls how we were all golfing at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill some time ago. We were there checking out the Monterey Bay Aquarium, so we were having fun…and the caddie called Pitch a LOFT golfer. What’s that? Lack Of F____king Talent! Giggles, Pitch only lost a few in the rough…but the caddie made our day!! Like Wylie Coyote, Pitch was always caught up in a little bit of chaos or creating his own humorous diversion, to become the life of the party.

A kind, gentle, and humble man, Pitch was devoted to his family, particularly his dear mother Skitty, his sister Stephanie, her husband Bill, their two children Jill and David, and his brother Ralph and Ralph’s daughter, Holly. They were a tightly woven family. Affectionately called “Uncle Pumba” by his great nephews and nieces Ashlyn and Dray, daughter and son of David Sick and Stacey Carr, and Quinn and Katelynn Barnard, son and daughter of Holly and Scott Barnard.

Holly lovingly writes, “Uncle Pitch was always full of life. He was the uncle to tell jokes and play pranks on us! He was a kind, caring and loving uncle. He would always address us as darlin’ or sweetheart. We will greatly miss him.” Pitch clung to the same tribe of life-long friends, extending back to kindergarten, with whom he formed a deep bond with over his lifetime through travel, holidays and multitudes of memorable experiences.

These compadres, forever together, include Will and Monique Hector, John and Barbara Thompson, Chris and Stacey Haggard, Hunt and Christine Lowry, Barney and Nancy Law, Hugh and Mary Maguire, Carol and Frank Thompson, Ross Magness and Marianne Trigg. During the 7 year sojourn that Pitch walked with cancer, countless conversations, meals, experiences and adventures shared with these enduring friends shaped his journey and theirs. At Pitch’s passing, Chris Haggard sent a story you might know. He wrote, “To those of you that don’t know my meaning, I am sorry, but to those that do, Michael spread his wings and flew. And, oh yes, he smelled like sugar!”

Since his transition, many of us have had signs of Pitch’s presence. Interestingly, a couple of times while driving. Monique saw him in a blink of a rainbow and Gina, on her way to school, was channeling Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky”. She had it on repeat, screaming it out. As one round ended, she said, “Thank you, Honey”, then glanced at the clock. It was 6:23!!! Pitch’s birthday! She cried and laughed all the way to work…the song still on repeat. To that, Hunt responded, “Pitch will live with all of us forever!”

Pitch was predeceased by his mother Helen Letitia “Skitty” Ledbetter Williams Ramirez, his father Ralph Wilbert Williams and his brother Ralph Walter Williams. Pitch is survived by his sister Stephanie Ann Williams Sick, his nephew and nieces David Louis Sick, Jill Melanie Sick and Holly Lynn Williams Barnard, and his former wife and lifelong partner, Gina Hartig Williams.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, Pitch would want you to express your love to all those you encounter along the way by simply showing your kindness, compassion and good will.

A Celebration of Life ceremony to honor Pitch will take place in Oklahoma City, OK in early summer of 2022. Invitations forthcoming.