George Joseph Williams
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Mass of Christian Burial for George Joseph Williams, 85, Lawrence will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, November 5, 2015 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. George passed away Monday, November 2, 2015 at Neuvant House in Lawrence.
George was born April 29, 1930 in Lawrence, KS, the son of Chris and Ann Williams.
George attended schools in Lawrence and graduated from KU with a degree in Civil Engineering.
George enlisted in the US Marine Corps and entered the Marine Corps Officers Candidate School (OCS). He served during the Korean War in artillery units in Japan and Korea and was discharged as a First Lieutenant.
After his discharge from the Marine Corps, George took a position with the City of Lawrence as the Assistant City Engineer. George worked for the city for 45 years and retired as Public Works Director in 2001. During his tenure with the city, George was active in the American Public Works Association on the state and national level. George served on the Board of Directors of the APWA for 10 years and is a lifetime member. George was selected as one of the top 10 public works leaders of the year in 1999 and the Kansas Chapter of APWA established and “Award of Excellence” in his honor for Kansas Public Works leaders. He was an official at the Kansas Relays for 27 years. He was a past President of the Lawrence Sertoma Club, a volunteer at LMH and a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church.
He married Darlyne Willhardt on February 1, 1958 in Leavenworth, KS. They have three sons, Steve and his wife, Carrie, Mike and his wife, Shanna, all of Lawrence, and Joe of Dallas, TX; and five grandchildren, Emily, Scott, Allison, Megan, and Katie. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to Corpus Christi Catholic Church or St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.
A Rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. with a visitation following until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4th at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence.
My thoughts are with you and your family.
Nina Marie
Our prayers and thoughts are with you during these times.
My deepest sympathy to the Williams family, George was a very good and will be missed.
Dar – Thinking of you and your family during these times. I worked with you at Stokely Van Camp.
Dar, Steve, Mike and Joe,
We are going to miss our good buddy. What a great support group he had. We are thinking of you.
Bob Moore and Family
We are so very sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire George Williams family.
Barbara & Phillip Goodbinder
Since Monday, I have relived many memories of George at city hall as my first friend, confidant, and long-time mentor. When I first met George in 1978 thru my years at city hall and beyond, he defined the role of a “good” man – one of the “good guys” who took pride in his service to his country as a Marine and in his service to his hometown as a public servant. I grieve with you, Dar, Steve, Mike and Joe, at your time of loss and pray that in time, your many happy memories will help fill the deep sense of loss and the sheer void you are feeling at this time. Love and prayers to all of you.
To Dar and Family,
I have a GREAT appreciation for George as a friend and also for all that he did for his church community and our community of Lawrence. He used his gifts and talents in unselfish ways for years to make Lawrence a much better place to live, do business, play, and raise families.
You hear people say that they want to leave something or someplace better than they found it. In George’s case, he did that and more.
Praise God for George and his gifts to us. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be for you and his family during this time of great loss.
Sincerely,
Larry