- Date Of Death: June 27, 2011
- State: Colorado
Robert Sydney (Bob) Williams passed away on June 27, 2011 at his home in Littleton, Colorado following a short illness. Bob was born July 22, 1919 in Rochester, New York to Sydney Williams and Rose (Barnhart) Williams.
Bob earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and subsequently earned graduate degrees at MIT and at the California Institute of Technology.
In 1941 Bob married Dorothy Ann Davis in Newton, Massachusetts. Bob and Dorothy raised four children in Baltimore, MD, Boston, MA and Littleton, CO. They later divorced.
He served as an aeronautical engineer in the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force from 1941 until 1946. The Army sent him to Cal Tech for a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering, and while there he participated in the early development of Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Upon graduation he became chief of the Air Corps’ medium range bombers branch; the group responsible for developing our nation’s first jet bombers. At the end of the war it was this group that went to Germany to study German innovations in swept wing jet aircraft, and subsequently produced the working designs that later became the B-52 and the Boeing 707.
As he moved to private industry he continued his love of aircraft working in aeronautical and aerospace management for the Glen L. Martin Company which later became Martin Marietta. Bob was program manager of the B-57. He then moved his family to the Littleton area where he was head of the Titan I testing program. After that he continued on with the Titan II ICBM where he is perhaps best known as the “Father of the Titan II”. After that he was Director of Skylab. During the 1960s and 70s he was Vice President of Technical Operations, Advanced Planetary Programs, Strategic Systems and the Space Shuttle External Tank. He was known throughout the aerospace industry for consistently delivering his product on-time and within-budget.
Grandpa delighted in telling his stories of the trials and tribulations of early aircraft design, rocketry and space exploration to his grandchildren. They in turn, could not get enough of the gleam in his eyes as he retold his increasingly colorful stories.
Bob married Ruth Majerus Sprague in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1975. After retirement Bob and Ruth lived in Indio, California and Everett, Washington.
Bob had a lifelong love affair with ships and ship design, and he built many models. Several museums across the country are the fortunate recipients of his exquisite ship models. He was also an avid gardener. In 2008 Bob moved back to Littleton where he enjoyed being President of the Resident Association at The Gardens at Columbine.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents, one sister, Margaret (Peggy) Nagle, and by Dorothy Williams and Ruth Williams. He is survived by his sister, Phyllis Reed of Ballston Spa, New
York; his brother, David Williams of Carney, Maryland; two daughters, Melissa Williams of Littleton and Janet Sones with husband Lance Sones of Santa Fe, New Mexico; two sons, Richard Williams of Springfield, Missouri and Kenneth Williams with wife Christine Nye of McHenry, Illinois; two step-daughters, Cheryl Lopez and Karen Wilson of Everett,
Washington; one step-son, Dale Sprague of Seattle, Washington; five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and numerous step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.
Dad lovingly left behind for his family a treasure trove of albums and essays documenting his life with his family and his life and achievements. Our family is so fortunate to have had as our patriarch our very own ‘Rocket Man’.
