Washington Courts: Judicial News Report Detail

Retired Chief Justice William H. Williams dies at age 79

A memorial service is scheduled on Monday, July 30th for former Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Williams. Williams passed away on Wednesday, July 25th in his hometown of Spokane, Washington.

Williams served on the Supreme Court from January 8, 1979 until January 13, 1985, becoming Chief Justice in 1983. Prior to his election to the Court, he served more than twenty years on the Spokane County Superior Court Bench, from 1958-1979.

Having served with Williams as a superior court judge, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander expressed condolences to his family on behalf of the Court. "I admired him immensely and believe he was an outstanding superior court judge and Supreme Court justice," recalled Alexander.

Williams was raised in Spokane, attending the University of Idaho after graduating from Lewis and Clark High. An outstanding collegiate boxer, he won the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Boxing Championship just prior to World War II.

His undergraduate studies were interrupted by the war when he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, where he became a pilot and flew twenty-six combat missions over Germany as a B-24 pilot. After the war he resumed his studies at the University of Idaho, proceeding to Gonzaga Law School for his legal education.

Justice Williams is survived by his wife, Ruth and five children. The memorial service is scheduled at Saint Mark's Lutheran Church at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. A private burial service will follow the memorial.

For further biographical information, please contact the number listed above.