John Edgar "Ed" Williams

   John Edgar "Ed" Williams Jr. died on January 13, 2023 in Wilmington, NC. He was born on November 10, 1927 in Spartanburg, SC. He was predeceased by his father and mother, John Edgar and Elizabeth Parker Williams, and his sister and brother-in-law, Betsey Williams and John Howard Talley, Jr. 

   Ed was raised from age 2 in Wilmington, NC where his father managed a fertilizer factory and his mother was an X-ray technician. He attended Forest Hills elementary and New Hanover High School, where he was on the ROTC Rifle Team. He enrolled at NCSU in September of 1944 and became active in the wartime ROTC 2-year program, including becoming Captain of the Rifle Team and Battalion Commander. Upon turning 18 in late 1945, he enlisted in the Army. After Basic Training, he went to Field Artillery OCS and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in November 1946. He was sent to join the US Occupation Forces in Japan, where he was in the 24th Division Artillery at Fukuoka, Kyushu. Upon being released from active duty in mid-1948, he remained in the Active Reserve, from which he retired in 1975. He enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill and majored in Political Science-International Relations. He was on the Carolina fencing team. He received his BA degree in December 1950 (Phi Beta Kappa) and stayed in graduate school to pursue a MA. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in New Zealand at Victoria University in Wellington in 1952-53. He returned to Chapel Hill and was awarded his MA in 1954. He worked for several months for the Department of the Air Force as a civilian in the Pentagon. Having previously applied to join the US Foreign Service, he was called to duty in December 1954 and stationed at the US Embassy in London. In the course of his 27 year career, he was also stationed in Madrid, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Auckland and Ottawa, with several tours of duty in the Department of State in Washington, plus a one-year assignment to attend Yale University where he earned a MA in Economics.

   Upon retiring in 1981, he enrolled once again at UNC-Chapel Hill, intending to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Political Science-International Relations. He studied and taught courses through 1986 when, having completed all the requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation, he decided not to continue, but to embark on another 'career'. He was contracted by the Department of State to serve as an Escort-Interpreter (Spanish) for official international visitors. For the next 16 years he spent much of his time escorting Spanish-speaking visitors (individuals, small and large groups) around the country. During this time he also became involved in community activities. As a member of Mensa, he organized a Mensa chapter in the Research Triangle area, which has remained very active. In 1983 he founded the Carolina Friends of the Foreign Service, an active organization for retired Foreign Service personnel and others with interests in foreign affairs. In 1983 he moved from Carrboro to Fearrington Village where he bought a home. He served for 8 years on the Board of Trustees of UNC Public Television (1988-96). In 1992 he organized the Fearrington Village Carolina Club, taking in the many UNC alumni who live in this Village. Over the years, it has won several awards as one of the most active UNC alumni clubs in the US. He was a member of University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill and served on its Missions Committee for 8 years (1984-92).  He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the web journal, American Diplomacy, from its founding in 1996.

   Lt. Colonel Williams' Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, January 19, at Andrews Mortuary, 1617 Market Street, Wilmington, 28401, where a Viewing will be held from 1:00 PM until time of services.  Burial will follow with an Army Honor Guard at Oakdale Cemetery, Wilmington, near where his parents are buried. Any memorial donations may be made to Friends of Oakdale Cemetery.

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