January 6, 2016

February 26, 2009

December 31, 2008

  • placeholder

    Figured I'd try to come up with an end-of-the-year post.  Just time stamping this to 2008, will hopefully get back and finish it within a day or four.

December 29, 2008

September 19, 2008

August 23, 2008

  • Star Wars

    It's been hard to think about blogging the last couple months.  I'll delve more into that later, but for now, as a break in the not-so-happy subject matter I'll likely write in the coming days, here's a funny picture.

    droidsfr2

June 18, 2008

  • The obituary I sent the Washington Post

    They edited out a bit, including one of the best lines, but here is what I sent the Post.

    david byron williams

    David Byron Williams
    local builder, volunteer

    David
    Byron Williams, 81, builder of many homes and apartments in Northern
    Virginia, died from complications of diabetes at Reston Hospital ICU on
    May 29th.

    Mr. Williams was born and raised in Martins Ferry,
    Ohio. He entered the Navy at age 17 to fight in World War II, serving
    in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters. He received a Purple Heart
    and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism when saving his ship
    from a faulty depth charge. He was on the USS Pope when she received a
    Presidential Unit Citation for participating in the capture of U-505,
    the first capture of a naval enemy vessel since 1815. The captured
    submarine is on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
    He fought at Normady, and later served during the Korean
    War.

    After
    WW2, he married Mary Leatrice Roy of Mobile Alabama. There he worked
    several jobs while raising twin daughters and going to Spring Hill
    College as part of the Fulbright Program. He studied accounting, and moved back to Ohio when his first marriage ended.

    He
    married Barbara Anne Herget in 1960 and moved to the Washington DC
    area. They briefly relocated to Alabama and then Michigan, but moved
    to Vienna in 1973 and have lived in Fairfax County ever since. Here,
    his career turned to building construction, where he worked for several
    companies including Miller and Smith, and finally for himself. He
    built many homes, businesses, and apartments in the Northern Virginia
    area, including a Gino's Pizza, and the Circle Woods town home
    development in Fairfax.

    They
    became Christians and joined Christian Assembly Center of Vienna in
    1976, later moving to Shepherd Gate of Chantilly in 1986. Mr. Williams
    dedicated most of his last 22 years to serving at Shepherd Gate. He
    was a one time deacon, frequent volunteer, and "surrogate father" to
    many of the congregation there. In recent years he has used his
    accounting background to volunteer with the African Assistance Plan, http://www.africaassistanceplan.org , a ministry serving the nation of Ghana.

    He
    is survived by his ex-wife Mary Leatrice Roy of Mobile Alabama, his
    wife Barbara Anne Herget of Reston, twin daughters Mary Davette Schurr
    and Leatrice Davida Weindel of Mobile, son David Stephen Williams of
    Mobile, son Trevor Owen Williams of Herndon, daughter Pamela Dee
    Williams of Herndon, four grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

June 15, 2008

  • My Dad

    It hasn't been a great couple of weeks.  Although I haven't been blogging, I have been writing a lot about my Dad.  Between emails, the obituary, the eulogy, and the hundreds of thoughts in my head, I have perhaps a dozen or more Dad-related blog entries worth of material.  It will show up soon.  Much of it will just be getting my thoughts out and on "paper", I don't expect people to read it all. 

    But then, that is true of my entire blog.  This is mainly just a place for me to vent.  I keep some entries private, but in keeping with my lifelong commitment to total honesty, share a lot of random thoughts here.  In thinking about my entries here, anyone reading everything here would would likely give up under the weight of the ton of mediocre entries.  I do occasionally write what I feel is a funny, or poignant entry, something reflecting the "true me" and that I am proud to share with my family and friends.  But most of this clutter is just me "talking to myself", keeping my communication skills primed.

May 31, 2008

  • David Byron Williams, 8/7/1926 - 5/29/2008

    I feel like I could write pages and pages about my father, but it would all be a jumbled mess right now.

    Part of me feels like I owe him my best possible writing, that I should
    take time to gather my thoughts and put something nice together.

    Part of me thinks that I should just blurt out what ever is on my mind,
    even if it turns out to be 20 chaotic little posts with no meaning to
    anyone but myself.

    I've been putting off writing anything for days now.  He passed away on Thursday morning.

April 30, 2008