Charles Raymond Williams, 92 of Scottsdale, Arizona passed away 11:15pm Saturday November 30th, 2019. Funeral services in his honor will be held at 11:00 am Saturday December 7, 2019 at the First Christian Church of Tempe, 2720 S Dorsey Ln, Tempe, AZ 85282. Visitation will be held at the Church on Saturday December 7 from 10:00 am until time of the service.
Charles was born on January 13, 1927 in St. Francisville, Illinois to Charlie Hart, and Cora Ellen (Jett) Williams. He married the love of his life, Carol Jean Wall on August 31, 1947 in Bridgeport, Illinois, she survives.
After serving in the US Navy for a year during World War II, he attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1950. He then went on and earned his Master’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1951. He was a computer pioneer, working on the design and development of one of the very earliest computers, the ORDVAC, a computer commissioned by the government to perform ballistic trajectory calculations for the US military. He followed it to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland in 1951 to oversee its installation and ongoing operation. After working there for 7 years, he and his family had grown tired of the cold weather, and he accepted a job with Motorola in Scottsdale Arizona in 1958. He continued to work for Motorola until his retirement, designing many communication devices for the space program, and living for 60 years in the same house he purchased in 1959.
He was a lifetime member of the Independent Christian Church and attended First Christian Church of Tempe for many years, even being present the last Sunday before his passing. He was nearly blind and his family rejoices that he is in heaven and can see once again.
Besides his loving wife of 72 years, Carol, He is survived by his daughter, Ellyn (Ken) Sutton of Chandler, and his Son, Dr. Chip (Karen) Williams of Richmond, Virginia; three grandchildren, Beth Gaddy (Josh), Jon Sutton (Andrea) , and C.J. Williams of Middletown, Connecticut; and two great-grandchildren, Noah and Aaron Gaddy.
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