Charles “Fritz” Williams, of Tuftonboro, N.H., died in his home Jan. 22 surrounded by his wife and children.
Fritz was born in Seymour, Ind. on June 8, 1943 to parents Frank “Bud” Williams and Katherine Foote Williams, both deceased. His family lived in various places throughout his childhood including Palos Verdes, Cal. and Pines Lake, N.J. It was while living in New Jersey that he developed his lifelong love of sailing. He was a graduate of Wayne Senior High School in Wayne, N.J. and attended the University of Michigan.
Fritz served four years in the U.S. Navy starting in 1962 aboard the USS Lake Champlain. After his discharge from the Navy he moved to New Hartford, Conn. where he worked for Locktite.
Ftitz’s family summered for many years on the coast of Maine in the Boothbay area. He worked summers on the three-masted schooner, the Victory Chimes, eventually becoming the First Mate. He earned his Sailing Coast Guard Captain’s License and then went on to captain the schooner Rachael & Ebenezer and several of the other coastal Maine schooners.
After leaving the Rachael & Ebenezer he worked as a mechanical engineer for BTU’s in Rockland. In 1986, his engineering skills took him to a job with OASIS Alignment Services in Rochester, N.H. As part of that job he helped Oasis expand by establishing a southern office in Pensacola, Fla. and a Canadian office in Montreal, Canada. As a result of this he and his family moved to Pensacola, Fla. in 1987 and then to Tuftonboro, N.H. in 1994. His latest project was expanding the business for OASIS by introducing the use of laser trackers into their company.
While living on a farm in Tuftonboro, he and his family operated the Hyde-Williams Petting Farm from 1996 to 2003. He thoroughly enjoyed playing “Farmer Williams” during the weekends and showing kids and their families the various aspects of farm living. He and his wife have also been long time Golden Retriever breeders.
His son Nathaniel “Nate” Williams passed away in 2005. He, his wife Dot and their daughter Morgan co-founded the Nathaniel J. Williams Foundation in his memory. This is a non-profit organization doing business under the name A.C.T.S. and its mission is to raise, train and place service dogs for people with mobility disabilities. Fritz was very passionate about this cause.
Fritz is survived by his wife of 36 years, Dorothy “Dot” Hyde-Williams; children, Morgan and Kyle Williams, all of Tuftonboro, N.H.; brother, Sherman Todd Williams and wife Berry of East Boothbay; sister, Abigail Williams and husband Bob Mullin of Nobleboro; sisters-in-law, Rosemary Hyde of Chapel Hill, N.C., Susan Hyde of Rockland, Marguerite Truesdale and husband Paul of Peabody, Mass., and Phyllis Hyde of Augusta; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Memorial service 1 p.m., Tues., Feb. 2 at All Saint’s Church in Wolfeboro, N.H.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Nathaniel J. Williams Foundation, P.O. Box 86, Center Tuftonboro, NH 03816, or visit www.assistancecanine.org for more information.