Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Gerard Rhoads WILLIAMS
Gerard Rhoads Williams, 94, of West Chester, died at home on Oct. 14, 2019. He was the widower of Margaret Rhein “Rita” Williams. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area in a Quaker family, “Gerry” was the son of the late Charles Rhoads and Grace Jones Williams. He had a varied career in education and business, but was consistently drawn to the sea and open water over the course of his life. After attending the Westtown Friends School, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1942. He was discharged in 1946, after having served on destroyers in the South Atlantic and the Pacific during World War II. He continued to follow the sea by being recalled during the Korean War and sailing with the Sun Oil Company tanker fleet on vacation time while a student at the University of Pennsylvania and a teacher at The Haverford School in Haverford. At Penn, he met and married “Rita,” his spouse of 62 years. After teaching at Haverford and at Penn, he spent several years in the educational development field – first at Penn, then establishing a program at Westtown School. This was followed by 20 years as a sales manager for a local paper company in Downingtown. Mr. Williams enjoyed nature and being close to the soil. Bird hunting was his favorite sport. On their local hobby farm, besides raising three children and many dogs and a cat, he and his wife raised sheep for the market and the show ring. For several years he ran the sheep exhibit at the Kimberton Fair. In addition, Mr. Williams had a keen interest in the restoration and maintenance of the historic Caln Friends Meetinghouse. He and his family enjoyed their time at a second home in Crisfield, Md., on the state’s Eastern Shore. After giving up the home later in life, Mr. Williams purchased a crabbing “shanty” on Jenkins Creek south of Crisfield and set about refurbishing it. Over a decade, he would visit the shanty with family and friends, spending time fishing and crabbing. He also began to cultivate an oyster farm on the water, which flourishes to this day. Mr. Williams’ father and mother’s families came to America during the 17th and 18th centuries to escape religious persecution. The earliest members came to New England and became Quakers in 1657. Although forsaking the pacific tenent, he was an active, participating member of Downingtown Friends Meeting. Surviving him are his three children: Gerard Rhoads Williams Jr. (Alice), Margaret Packard Williams, and Ann Nicholson Cuneo (Mario); four grandchildren, Sarah W. Wilkes (Crafton), Kent Williams (Rachel), Hannah Buhl (Kegan), and David Roberts; and four great-grandchildren, Felicity Wilkes, Cohen Wilkes, Henry Williams, and Jacqueline Williams. A Memorial Meeting for Worship will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Downingtown Friends Meeting, 800 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown. Funeral arrangements are through the Founds-Feryo Cremation and Burial Services, LLC, West Chester. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Downingtown Friends Meeting, 800 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, PA, 19335.
Published in The Daily Local on Oct. 18, 2019
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