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Roy S. Williams La Mesa, CA QCWA # 7189 |
Roy S Williams
December 22, 1923 . January 8, 2016
Roy was born in 1923, in La Mesa and raised by his mother in Alpine. His brother Frank was born in 1925. Roy's father Thomas left the family in 1927, never to be heard from again. Roy's mother Lena raised her sons in poverty. There was no money for shoes or Christmas presents. Roy went to a one room schoolhouse in Alpine, where he excelled under the guidance of the school's legendary teacher Hazel Hohanshelt. Roy got his first pair of shoes, when he entered Grossmont High School, in 1937. Roy was on the track team, coached by another legend, Jack Mashin. Roy graduated near the top of his class in 1941.
After high school, Roy served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and then worked at Consolidated Aircraft. Roy served in the US Air Force during WW II, from 1942 to 1945, as a radio operator in a control tower. Roy's brother Frank was killed in the battle of the bulge in 1945. After the war, Roy worked at American Airlines.
In 1946, Roy met Nancy Sullivan, fell deeply in love and married her in 1951. Roy joined the San Diego County Sheriff's Department in 1952. Roy and Nancy had 3 children, Greg, Brian and Carol. The family went on numerous vacations with a small travel trailer to many national parks. Roy enjoyed being a ham radio operator and he used Morse code to communicate with other amateur radio operators all over the world. His call sign was W6VON. Roy also repaired broken things and made improvements on things around the house, often using lag bolts from Handyman.
In 1960, Roy invented a Detention Time Computer. The Sheriff's Department used the mechanism to calculate the release dates of inmates in the county jail. Roy promoted through the ranks and retired as a Captain in 1977. Roy vowed to never work again and he had business cards made that read "Enjoying Retirement". Roy and Nancy went on many more vacations with a big travel trailer, including a few across the United States. Roy began studying genealogy and he traced his ancestors back more than 10 generations.
Roy and Nancy were loving grandpa and nana to Jason, Christopher, Anna, Dodge, Ford, Kristin and Hannah. Roy and Nancy set up a swing set in their backyard and a ping pong table on their patio for their grandkids to enjoy.
Roy passed away on January 8th, from acute leukemia. Roy is gone, but he will never be forgotten. Services will be private at the Alpine Cemetery.