Richard Jay Williams

Dick was born on March 2, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, to Das and Harriet Williams and was the older brother of Larry. Growing up during the Great Depression taught him to be resourceful. He worked more odd jobs than he could remember, including washing UPS trucks at night, before earning both his undergraduate and law degrees from DePaul University in 1953.

His career was briefly interrupted by two years in the U.S. Army, where he served as a military policeman (MP). Ever clever and personable, he became friends with the base dentist, who somehow managed to schedule Dick's dental appointments on days his platoon faced especially grueling drills. After his discharge, Dick first joined a publishing company and later the actuarial firm A.S. Hansen, where he became an expert in the field of employee benefits and the related law—a profession that became his life's work.

Dick met the love of his life, Joan Carol Fantus, in Chicago, and they married on December 20, 1960 and shared nearly 66 years together. Together they raised three children: Mitchell (Randi Kadis), Gregg (Sue Peters), and Terry. They were also blessed with five grandchildren: Savannah, Ross, Jamie, Galen, and Sarah. Dick and Joan also shared a joint passion for bicycle trips.

In 1975, the Williams family moved to Tampa, Florida, where Dick joined Jim Walter Corporation. He became active in Toastmasters and founded a networking group for employee benefits professionals that continued long after his retirement from Briggs, a Jim Walter subsidiary, in 1992. Retirement only gave him more time for the things he loved: gardening, fishing, tennis, pickleball, exercising, stock investing, and sharing unsolicited—but often worthwhile—investment advice with his children and grandchildren, gleaned from the Wall Street Journal and Value Line.

Dick and Joan moved to Atlanta in 2010 to be closer to family. There, he became an early member of the North Atlanta Men's Club and participated in a variety of community service work including volunteering at the USO helping members of the armed forces. In addition, he played endless games of Hearts, planned family trips, worked out regularly at the Jewish Community Center, and continued investing with enthusiasm. Dick was often quoted saying “He could not do anything about the chronological but could do something about the biological.” In fact, right up until the very end of his life he could be found exercising with a 4 lb. weight while sitting in a chair. He was also a two-time cancer survivor.

Dick will be remembered for wit, tenacity, curiosity, generous spirit, and remarkable ability to stay engaged with life. He never stopped learning, helping others, or finding the next opportunity—whether in the garden, on the pickleball court, or in the stock market. True to form, one of his last successes was a well-timed trade in Chipotle stock that turned a tidy profit. He leaves behind a family who will miss him deeply and remember him with enduring love and gratitude.