John Albin Williams

John Albin “Buddy” Williams, 84, passed away on Saturday, December 18, 2010 in Memphis. He was born in Memphis on July 13, 1926 to Lawrence Kelly Williams and Mabel Horn. He was a descendant of William Lawrence who surveyed and drew up the first map of Memphis in 1819. He graduated from Whitehaven High School and Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. He enlisted in the United States Navy and served during WWII, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War, retiring after twenty-nine years as a Lieutenant Commander in 1972. He subsequently served as Veterans Affairs Administrator at Seminole Community College in Sanford, FL and later taught electronics at Oviedo High School in Oviedo, FL. He was an active member of Kiwanis, the VFW, the American Legion, and the Tailhook Association. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Ann Hartwell and sister, Ellen Clare Williams Loomis. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Watson Williams; daughters, Christi Ashby (Robert) of Deer Island, FL, Wendy Tramell (Joe) of Orlando, FL, and Laurie Turner (Bill) of Warner Robbins, GA; stepdaughter, Charlotte Griffin (David) of Memphis; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Monday, January 3, 2011, 1-2 p.m. with the memorial service immediately following at 2 p.m., both at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, Poplar Avenue. Memorials may be sent to Alzheimer’s Day Services of Memphis, Inc., 3185 Hickory Hill Road, Memphis, TN 38115 or the charity of the donor’s choice.