Francis Foster Williams Jr.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on October 27, 1934 to Francis Franklin Williams and Mildred Powers Williams, Francis, or Frank as he preferred, shared his youth with his brother, James “Jim” Williams being mostly raised by their father’s mother, Mattie Hanlon.

He graduated from Fenwick High School in 1952 and was active in scouting and barbershop quartet singing. Frank and his quartet toured the United States as teenagers and participated in many singing contests in the barbershop genre. It was the American Idol of that period. In 1954, he enlisted in the Air Force to continue his singing career in the Air Force’s Tops in Blue group. His touring schedule grew from national to world-wide as the group performed in USO shows as far away as Japan and as remote as Alaska.

While on tour, Frank met Marlene Anne Light in a soda shop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two married in New York in 1955. She and her mother, Frances Light, convinced him to attend college on the GI Bill. Originally pursuing a music degree, Frank’s ROTC instructor convinced him that he needed a degree more suitable for an Air Force Officer so he changed majors to English. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1962. Frank was commissioned as an Officer that same year which began a 22-year long career in the military profession he dearly loved.

“Too short to be a pilot” (his words), he put his English degree to use and entered the world of Air Force Procurement (purchasing). While stationed at McGuire AFB near Trenton, NJ, he and his wife gave birth to their son, Jeffrey M. Williams in 1963. His career then took him and his family to Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH where he earned his Masters in Business Administration, a degree that would serve as the bedrock of his remaining military and civilian career for the years to follow.

His advancement in the ranks occurred over the span of his military life which required him and his family to live in Morón Air Base (Seville, Spain), Maxwell AFB (Montgomery, AL), Norton AFB (San Bernardino, CA), Ankara Air Station (Ankara, Turkey), Eglin AFB (Okaloosa County, FL) and Edwards AFB (Mojave Desert, CA). During his last station at Wright Patterson, he retired as a full Colonel in 1984.

His wife, Marlene, passed away in 1981 of cancer while they were stationed at Eglin AFB. Frank met Rose V. Rose shortly thereafter and married her in 1982. They would share a married life for 31 years until her death in 2013.

After the Air Force, Frank entered the private sector as a government contracts specialist and found employment in what he regarded as his hometown of Dayton, OH. He continued to work until the age of 72 until he retired permanently. Frank literally lived to work and found his new found free time a challenge. In 2012, he left Dayton to take care of Rose who was residing in Niceville, FL at the time. Showing early signs of Alzheimer’s, it would eventually claim her life. After Rose, Frank elected to move to Pensacola, FL to be near his son, Jeff and Jeff’s girlfriend, Kimberly Jones. The three enjoyed many restaurants, local Wahoo baseball games and shows together in his final years.

Frank is survived by his son, Jeff Williams, sister-in-law, Joan Williams, and niece and nephews, Gina Brahm, Mike Williams, Steve Williams and their wonderful families.

A memorial service for Frank will be held Saturday, July 30, 2016 at 11:00am at the Cokesbury United Methodist Church at 3300 Summit Blvd, Pensacola, FL. Full military honors will be presented in honor of his service to his country. He contributed to numerous charities and organizations. In lieu of flowers or donations, his wishes were for his surviving family and countless friends to simply enjoy life and each other’s company and if so inclined, have a toast to him in fond memory (his favorite was White Zinfandel). Frank will be dearly missed and not forgotten.