Edward B. Williams

August 19, 1935 – January 1, 2025

Born in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Westminster, South Carolina, on August 19, 1935, Edward (Ed) Williams passed away on January 1, 2025, following a long and courageous battle with kidney cancer. He was the only child of Edward and Lulabel Williams, who predeceased him.

After a Depression era move to Texas for a job, his parents settled in Pasadena, Texas, where Ed graduated from Pasadena High School, Class of 1953. He returned to Texas following a stint in the Marine Corp during the Korean War and graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1960 with a degree in History. During a summer job, he met and married Judith Ann Fisher in 1963.

Together they produced three children, Andy, Laura, and Spencer and two more degrees for Ed. He earned a Master’s in Political Science (1980) and a Doctorate in Educational Administration (1985).

Although he taught for 11 years in public education, college, and university settings, including a stint as Commandant of Cadets at Texas A&M University Galveston, his real passion was going to sea as a Radio and Electronics Officer. In that capacity, he traveled the world, which instilled in him a love for travel of all kinds. He was also able to hone his writing skills and he produced two books on Civil War history, Rebel Brothers and Hood’s Texas Brigade. He wrote numerous articles for military history journals and collected over 50 interviews with WWII veterans for the Library of Congress’ veteran interview program.

His retirement years were spent in travel and in entertaining his 8 grandchildren with tales of saber tooth tigers in the woods and games of chase with a water hose.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Judith (Judy) Fisher Williams, his son Andy and wife Jana, his daughter Laura and husband Henry, and his son Spencer and wife Jennifer. He is also survived by his 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandsons; Alyssa and Jim Slaton, sons Slade and Ranger, Alison Wernli, Isabel Reyna, Matt Reyna, Morgan Williams, Madison Williams, Megan Williams, and Josey Williams.

The family would like to thank the staff at M.D. Anderson for giving us 16 years of additional time through treatments and surgeries, Houston Hospice for your incredible care and comfort in these last two years and Trinity Oaks Assisted Living, Pearland, for your care and support in these last six months. Special thanks go to the team of the late Christopher Wood, MD, incredible Hospice nurse Eva, and the loving and kind staff of Trinity Oaks.

Please direct donations to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center so that this terrible disease will see its end.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Crowder Funeral Home, 2422 E. Broadway, Pearland, TX 77581