Richard Williams – March 27, 2024

Richard Allan Williams, 82 years of age, passed away on March 27, 2024. He was a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado for 57 years and was formerly a resident of Canton, Illinois. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army retiring at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3. Richard, known to his family as “Butch” and to his friends as “Dick”, was born April 9, 1941, to Ernest and Helen (Powers) Williams in Canton, Illinois. On January 1, 1960, he married Judith Ann (Widger) in Canton, Illinois. Richard was fond of fishing with his sons and grandsons. He also enjoyed sports. He was an avid fan of the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies and the Colorado Avalanche. Richard enjoyed watching Air Force Falcon football games with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had an appreciation for home cooked meals and spending time with family. He enjoyed family game nights of “Aggravation”; a board game enjoyed by the Williams family for decades.

Richard attended high school at Canton High School (Little Giants) Illinois. In 1958, he joined the United States Army. Richard began his military career as an Airborne Paratrooper logging 88 military jumps. He served in the Artillery, Signal Corp, and as an Army Aviator flying UH-1 helicopters. Richard served two overseas tours in Germany and one in Korea. He also served a combat tour with the 15th Transportation Battalion, 1st CAV Division Vietnam from January 1969 – January 1970. Richard retired from the U.S. Army in 1979 after 21 years of military service at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3. Upon his military retirement, Richard continued to serve as a Department of the Army Civilian retiring from Civil Service in 2003.

Richard Williams is survived by his loving wife, Judith Williams; his children: Melanie Gardner, Jeff Williams and Brian Williams; his siblings: Chuck Williams, Bob Williams and Sue Armstrong. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Ben Gardner, Jon Gardner, Julie Prismon, Amanda Bilberry and Jacob Williams. Richard is also survived by his great-grandchildren: Jane Gardner, Cadence Prismon, Levi Prismon, and Norah Gardner. Richard was preceded in death by his father, Ernest Williams; his mother, Helen Carpenter; and his sister, Phyllis Fredricks.

A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on April 9, 2024, at Shrine of Remembrance, 1730 East Fountain Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80910. A funeral service will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the same location. Richard A. Williams will be laid to rest on April 9, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80925. He will be laid to rest with full military honors.