IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Harry H
Williams, Jr.
May 31, 1927 – March 22, 2018
Obituary
Harry Hancock Williams, Jr, 90, of Crosswicks died peacefully on March 22st, 2018. Born in Allentown, NJ, the son of Harry Hancock Williams and Beatrice Montgomery Johnson, he was a lifelong resident of the area. He was President of williams-BUILDER, a nationally recognized, residential, design/build firm.
He attended the Peddie School. After a short time in the service, he entered Lehigh University in 1946. Although he appreciated the "necessary practical and social benefit" of coursework on "soil composition, sewers, concrete compression, and steel-bending increments, they did not inspire me," and he remained, in his words, "one of the most undistinguished students to attend this institution."
Shortly after graduation, he built the "House of Tomorrow" on a small lot carved out of an Allentown cornfield, aided by a gift from his grandmother, Mary Ellen Tams. Hundreds visited, none bought, and Harry and Jan, his beloved wife and soon-to-be business partner, moved in with their growing family. Two RCA engineers attending the opening liked the simple functional design and thus, from this project, he built their homes and launched williams-BUILDER, which over 55+ years, built a sterling reputation and great many loyal customers.
The company's distinctive red sign with "creativity and craftsmanship" lettering marked his custom jobs in Princeton and surrounding areas. Williams' projects won many design awards and were featured in magazines such as House and Garden and Builder and Architect.
Among his jobs were historic renovations, projects for "doctors, university professors, Wall Streeters," and employees of firms such as Bristol Meyers Squibb, "as Princeton evolved from a college town to a small city." He loved the projects for repeat customers, of which there were many, as, according to thank you cards, he was "the only remodeler I would trust with such a project." Each project was unique, and each infused with his favorite quote, "By the work, one knows the workman." (La Fontaine)
Harry loved to dance with his wife, especially to Glenn Miller-style orchestras, which he did often at national and regional conferences of the National Association of Home Builders, where for many years, they were featured speakers (perhaps the most daring topic: "Running a Business: From the Bedroom to the Boardroom"). If there was a historic sign, he would, yet again, stop the car and read it, to the wails of his children in the back seat; if there was a dirt road, he would turn down it. Long wishing to visit England, home of his immigrant father, when he finally walked down a London street, 6 different people asked him for directions within the hour, perhaps due to his purposeful stride and sartorial choices.
Always a seeker, Harry took his family on canoeing and camping adventures on the Delaware River and in the wilds of the Adirondack Mountains, where, at Blue Mountain Lake, he built "Base Camp," which became the new family gathering place.
Harry and Jan have been active and supportive members of the Religious Society of Friends, for whom he helped restore the Crosswicks First Day School, among other projects. He deeply loved and identified with Quaker faith and practice, including reflection, nonviolence, and commitment to his community. He was a former board chairman of Mercer Street Friends in Trenton, and served on the Chesterfield Township Zoning Committee and the Historic Preservation Commission for both Chesterfield and Cranbury.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Janet (West); his 3 children, Lee, David and wife Heather, Ann Haden and husband Jamie; his sister Mary Ellen Eastridge, husband Don, and nephew David; and 7 grandchildren—Evan, Haddie and husband Matt, Moriah, Noah, Ian, Sophia, and Levi.
A memorial service will be held at The Crosswicks Friends Meeting House, 15 Front Street, at 2 pm on Saturday, April 14th, 2018. Donations can be made to the Crosswicks Friends Meeting Building Maintenance Fund (crosswicksfriendsmeeting.org).
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Janet (West); his 3 children, Lee, David and wife Heather, Ann Haden and husband Jamie; his sister Mary Ellen Eastridge, husband Don, and nephew David; and 7 grandchildren—Evan, Haddie and husband Matt, Moriah, Noah, Ian, Sophia, and Levi.
A memorial service will be held at The Crosswicks Friends Meeting House, 15 Front Street, at 2 pm on Saturday, April 14th, 2018. Donations can be made to the Crosswicks Friends Meeting Building Maintenance Fund (crosswicksfriendsmeeting.org).
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