Wilbur Stanley Williams

January 10, 2018

Wilbur Stanley Williams, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on January 10, 2018, at 77.  He was born in Bainbridge, Georgia, on June 3, 1940, where he grew up and was in the class of 1958 at Bainbridge High School.  Wilbur graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology. He went on to receive his Master of Science degree in Geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he completed his dissertation on the San Juan Mountains.

Wilbur was hired by Chevron in Jackson, Mississippi.  This is where he met Betty Barnett.  He and Betty lived in the same apartment complex and started dating.  Wilbur decided he wanted to go back to school to pursue additional post-graduate work at Washington State University in Pullman.  He didn’t want to go alone, so he proposed.  Betty accepted, and married Wilbur on August 27, 1966.  After just over a year in Washington, Wilbur was offered a position with Amoco in their Denver office.  He and Betty did relocate, and resided in Green Mountain, Colorado.  They enjoyed Colorado and had their two daughters there.  However, Betty and Wilbur wanted to be closer to their family, so Wilbur requested a transfer to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Wilbur was able to transfer to New Orleans with Amoco in 1974.  He worked as a Geologist at Amoco/BP for over 18 years.  Always thinking of his family first, Wilbur waited until both girls graduated from high school to accept a position with Amerada Hess Corporation in Houston in 1993.  This prompted Wilbur and Betty to relocate to The Woodlands, Texas.  He also worked for El Paso Corporation and Swift Energy Company in Houston before retiring in 2009.  Wilbur’s life work as a Petroleum Geologist included study on the Rocky Mountain region, the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi, Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas.

Wilbur’s hobbies and passion extended to the outdoors.  Wilbur enjoyed being close to so many national parks during his time in Denver.  While in New Orleans he enjoyed fishing in the Gulf, a robust vegetable garden, and spending his free time with family and friends at Aurora Country Club.  His move to The Woodlands fostered his interest in local Texas wildlife and gardening.  Wilbur had a quick wit, and always enjoyed a good practical joke, just ask his co-workers and neighbors.  He looked forward to traveling to the beach with his family each year, and he and Betty enjoyed several European river cruises together.  Wilbur and Betty recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Wilbur is survived by his wife Betty, daughters Chris Williams Scott and Laney Williams Fortinberry, sons-in-law Chuck Scott and Chuck Fortinberry, grandchildren Charlie, Will, Caroline, Sarah, and Ella, and brother Laney Peter Williams, Jr.  He is preceded in death by his parents Laney Peter Williams and Nettie Mae Griffin Williams.

A celebration of his life will be held at 2 pm on Friday, February 2, 2018, at The Woodlands United Methodist Church.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Rifle Association of America at National Rifle Association -ILA, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 or the University of Colorado Geological Sciences Foundation, Bruce Curtis Graduate Student Fellowship Fund at https://giving.cu.edu or a local animal shelter in his memory.

The Woodlands Funeral Home of Forest Park is in charge of arrangements.