Ralph Williams Jr.

Ralph Williams, Jr., retired partner of Alston and Bird, died on June 30, 2022, at Piedmont Hospital, the same hospital where he was born on January 7, 1932. He was the only child of Marion Peacock Williams and Ralph Williams.

Ralph grew up in Buckhead and attended E. Rivers School and North Fulton High. He graduated from Episcopal High School and the University of Virginia. After two years service in the U. S. Navy, he entered Emory Law School where he was Editor of the Law Review, graduating in 1958.

During his 38-year-long law practice Ralph focused on real estate, serving for many years a client who built shopping malls in the Atlanta area when that type of development was at its height.

He was an outstanding athlete, excelling at football and lacrosse in his youth and playing tennis into his eighties. A devoted father, he coached football and Little League baseball. For 25 years, he volunteered as The Voice of the Lions, announcing Friday night home game for the Lovett School. Ralph loved the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves. He and long-time companion, Claire Sutton, ran the Peachtree Road Race 11 times.

Ralph was a lifelong member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church where he served on the Vestry and as Chancellor. He was instrumental in bringing the Reverend Tom Bowers to St. Luke’s in 1971, facilitating the transformation of the church into the vibrant congregation that it is today.

He was a member of the Piedmont Driving Club, the Ponte Vedra Club and the Homosassa Fishing Club.

Ralph is preceded in death by his son, Ralph Williams, III. He is survived by his devoted companion, Claire Sutton, by his children: Mary Ann Williams (Michael Ryan), and Thomas Currie Williams (Sue), grandchildren Emily and Patrick Ryan, Nora Ann, Sylvia and Dale Williams and by his daughter in law, Connie Kelley Williams, her children Robbie (Elaine), Kelly, and Ally Nelke, grandchildren Gabriel Williams, Jackson, Trace, and Fallon Nelke, and by Claire Sutton’s children Claire Mozley, Matthew Rohs and Mark Rohs, and their families. Ralph is also survived by his former wife, Emily Williams Huie.

The family is grateful to the Lenbrook staff members who took care of Ralph; to Peggy Vetterlein, who managed his financial affairs, and to Jay Thursby, whose training sessions kept him fit well into his eighties.

A celebration of Ralph’s life will be held on Saturday, July 9 at 2:00 PM at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church,435 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308. A reception in the Parish Hall will follow. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for Prepare Ye the Way.