Kern County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....Williams, Jack September 6 2004 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K Taylor bluewolf@onemain.com September 10, 2004, 6:00 pm The Bakersfield Californian Jack Williams Nov. 3, 1927 Sept. 6, 2004 Services: Sun., Sept. 19, 2-4 p.m. The world has lost one of its most gregarious extroverts and Heaven has welcomed him. He has now returned to his energetic, talkative, friendly self. We selfishly wanted him to stay longer with us, but when we were finally able to let him go and began to describe the huge circle of friends and relatives in Heaven who were partying in expectation of his arrival, he let go with the softest, gentlest and most peaceful of breaths. He survived six years after a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer through sheer perseverance and a strong will to live. During this time he met and won the hearts of many medical personnel who looked forward to his treatments just so that they could be uplifted with his humor and good spirits. When they would say, Hi Jack, he would say, If you see me on an airplane, don't say that. Jack was born November 3, 1927 in Arkansas and moved to Bakersfield as a child. His teen years were spent racing hot rods and playing sports. During his twenties he was an instructor in the Jet Mechanics School in the Air Force in Amarillo, Texas, and he was honored as Airman of the month. In the 1950s and 60s he raced sports cars and also loved riding motorcycles and driving boats. He worked as a pioneer in cathodic pipeline protection for Richfield Oil Company. For thirty-five years he worked as Vice President of Bakersfield Ready Mix/Cal Mat where he developed the reputation as the honest, reliable, knowledgeable King of Concrete. He was responsible for pioneering the use of admixtures to make concrete seem more wet to satisfy the finishers without actually adding too much water and weakening the concrete. He also worked tirelessly to refine the mix designs for curb and gutter machines, an innovation at the time. Jack married and raised a son at the age most men were already grandfathers. He was so fond of Martin Erreca, founder of Bakersfield Ready Mix, that he named his son after him. Jacks years in the Stockdale Rotary and TNT Wings motorcycle club introduced him to many lifelong friends. He had the health and vitality of a young man all the way until the end and managed to fit at least 3 or 4 wonderful lifetimes into one life. Mourning his loss deeply are wife, Peggy; son, Marty and daughter-in-law, Yoli, who were his main caregivers. Relatives: brothers-in-law, Ron and Don Davis and their wives, Deb and Caryn; mother-in-law, Maxine Davis; half- brother, Lee Duncan; nieces, Lisa Gilbert (husband, Kirk, children, Kearstyn, Kameron and Karson), Patty Davis (daughter, Megan), Krista Duncan (daughters, Genesis and Amanda); nephews, Brent Davis, B.J. Davis, Cameron Davis, Matthew Davis (wife, Amanda and son, John Calvin); cousins, Violet Moore (Bobby), Milton Huggs (Doris), Gary Rose, Sharon Milton (Lowell), Audra Zesiger, and aunt, Marti Williams of Arkansas. Jacks family would like to thank Dr. Nadim Sarkies for his years of compassion and dedication to the health and comfort of their beloved husband and father. Dr. Sarkies was responsive, a listener, knowledgeable and infinitely patient and kind. The family would also like to thank Dr. Shawn Shambaugh for his kindness and compassion. Special thanks to the Mateers, Molinas, Morenos, Carzares, Don and Marilyn Williams and Jim Gentry for their friendship, food and support. A Celebration of his Life will be held at the Kern City Civic Association Town Hall, 1003 Pebble Beach Dr. on Sunday, September 19, 2004 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Jack became such an animal lover that he cried in the hospital because he missed our dogs so much, so in lieu of flowers please make a donation to the S.P.C.A., 3000 Gibson St., Bakersfield, CA 93308; The I.F.A.W., The International Fund for Animal Welfare, P.O. Box 97105, Washington, D.C. 20090- 7105; Primarily Primates, P.O. Box 207, San Antonio, TX 78291-0207 or any animal protection organization. Greenlawn Southwest Mortuary Funeral Directors Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/obits/gob1560williams.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 4.7 Kb