Dennis Williams

Dennis Williams passed away in his home on August 9, 2010, at
the age of 56. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 1,
1954, the fourth of five children to Clarence and Evelyn Williams.
The family moved to Gardena, California when Dennis was a four
years old.
Dennis graduated from California State University, Long
Beach in 1978 with a degree in medical microbiology and a minor in
mathematics. He put himself through college by working as a night
manager at an Alpha Beta grocery store. In 1976 while in school,
Dennis met the love of his life Joan Motherwell, when they were
placed in the same study group in their zoology class. Their first
date was when the study group went to celebrate passing the class,
but only the two of them showed up for the dinner.
Dennis and Joan were married on July 15, 1978 in Redondo
Beach, CA. They decided to move to Seattle, WA to be closer to
their parents in 1980. Dennis worked for Frito Lay for 26 years
developing sales routes. Working for Frito Lay, he got to know all
of the streets and sights around the Seattle area. Dennis enjoyed
being the tour guide and going along with others to show them the
delights of the great Northwest that he came to love.
Martin Thomas Williams, the joy of Dennis' life entered the
world on March 11, 1982. He loved teaching his son about cooking,
sailing, gardening, music, and mechanics, and he worked tirelessly
in order to send Martin to Western Washington University, where he
graduated with a degree in computer science in 2005. As a family
they explored the Seattle area with day trips to secluded beaches
and coves. Dennis loved to play softball, tennis and basketball.
He loved to go camping, canoeing, fishing and sailing and enjoyed
taking family and friends on his sailboat out on Lake Washington.
He loved to cook and barbecue, while experimenting with new herbs,
spices and recipes. Going to rock concerts was a favorite
activity, James Taylor and Steely Dan were among his favorites.

Dennis loved his dogs. He always had a story about D.J., Griz,
Simon, Carney or Tucker, and he lit up whenever he talked about
them. Dennis worked hard, but found time to play hard too. He
made those around him laugh and shared his passion and curiosity
for life with the people he loved.
Dennis is survived by his wife of 32 years, Joan, his son
Martin and partner Libby, his brothers John and Jim, his sisters
Jeanne and Nancy, his mother Evelyn and his mother-in-law Gwendolyn
Motherwell. He is preceded in death by his father Clarence and his
father-in-law Robert B. Motherwell. He will be missed by family
and friends.
There will be a memorial service on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at
2pm, at the Kirkland Women's Center, 407 1st St, Kirkland, WA.
Click on the pictures below to see enlargements.