National Geographic photographer.
Parents:
- Milo Beyer Williams [1882-1954]
- Helen Louise (Woodbridge) Williams [1888-1962]
Married Beatrice (Elliott) Williams in March, 1943.
Children:
- Milo Woodbridge Williams Jr. [1959-1970]
- Edith Williams
- Susan Williams Spalding
- Elizabeth Williams Holter
- Beatrice Williams Ross
Military Service
U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
Obituary
The Daily Reflector on May 13, 2012
Milo Woodbridge "Woody" Williams, 94, died peacefully at home on Saturday, May 5, 2012, surrounded by his family.
Born in Berkeley, Calif. on June 6, 1917 to Milo and Helen Williams, Woody at an early age developed a love for nature, oceans, and marine biology. He entered Pomona College in 1935 but soon felt restless and withdrew to crew as quartermaster on a boat called the "Stranger." They visited the Galapagos Islands and Latin America before heading north to Alaska.
Returning to Pomona, he met his future wife, Beatrice Elliott, and graduated in 1940. They were married in 1943.
After service with the Army Air Corps in World War II he studied marine biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He followed his interests in the natural sciences, journalism, and photography with jobs at the California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium, the San Rafael Independent Journal, a year in Afghanistan with the United Nations FAO, and as director of the San Mateo County Junior Museum.
In 1955 he moved to Washington D.C. where he worked for the National Geographic. From 1961 to 1980 Woody settled into a career as photographer for the National Park Service. During this time he was "one of the pioneers in opening the public eye to the last of the great and little known scenic areas of North America," including the newly designated parks in Alaska. A portfolio of his photos was presented to the Mellon and Rockefeller families and to China's Chairman Mao Tse-tung by President Nixon in 1972.
After retirement Woody continued as a freelance photographer and writer. He was a member of The Explorers Club, the American Society of Magazine Photographers, and the Golden Kiwanis.
Woody's connection with nature was deep and he used his gifts of seeing and interpreting to share beauty with the world. From the foggy shores of California to the golden Outer Banks of North Carolina he explored, recorded and then gifted us with his vision. With this expansive spirit he led his family to live in large, old, rambling houses. First in Inverness, Calif. and then for 44 years in rural Maryland, he created a home for the family he cherished nestled within the natural world he loved.
Woody was preceded in death by his son, Milo Woodbridge Williams Jr.; nephew, David Walton; and brothers-in-law, John Daly and Donald Walton.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 69 years, Beatrice; his beloved sister, Constance Walton; sisters-in-law, Edith Daly, and Rosalie Elliott; and daughters, Edith Williams of Greenville, Susan Spaulding and husband, Lincoln, of Rochester, N.Y., Betty Williams and husband, John Holter, of Greenville, Beatrice Williams Ross and husband, Mac, of Jarrettsville, Md.; grandchildren, Sarah and husband, Jeff Lydon, Eric and wife, Anna, and Mary Spaulding, Daniel, Ben and Beth Ross, Amy and David Holter; great-grandchildren Eva and Morgan Lydon; and many dear nieces and nephews.
Private service will be held in Maryland at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sempervirens Fund (protecting Redwood forests), 419 South Antonio Rd. Ste 211, Los Altos, CA 94022, to Stronghold, Inc., (Sugarloaf Mountain), 7901 Comus Rd., Dickerson, MD 20842, or to Spay Today, 4550-B County Home Road, Greenville, NC 27858.
Arrangements by Smith Funeral & Cremation Services.
National Geographic photographer.
Parents:
- Milo Beyer Williams [1882-1954]
- Helen Louise (Woodbridge) Williams [1888-1962]
Married Beatrice (Elliott) Williams in March, 1943.
Children:
- Milo Woodbridge Williams Jr. [1959-1970]
- Edith Williams
- Susan Williams Spalding
- Elizabeth Williams Holter
- Beatrice Williams Ross
Military Service
U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
Obituary
The Daily Reflector on May 13, 2012
Milo Woodbridge "Woody" Williams, 94, died peacefully at home on Saturday, May 5, 2012, surrounded by his family.
Born in Berkeley, Calif. on June 6, 1917 to Milo and Helen Williams, Woody at an early age developed a love for nature, oceans, and marine biology. He entered Pomona College in 1935 but soon felt restless and withdrew to crew as quartermaster on a boat called the "Stranger." They visited the Galapagos Islands and Latin America before heading north to Alaska.
Returning to Pomona, he met his future wife, Beatrice Elliott, and graduated in 1940. They were married in 1943.
After service with the Army Air Corps in World War II he studied marine biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He followed his interests in the natural sciences, journalism, and photography with jobs at the California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium, the San Rafael Independent Journal, a year in Afghanistan with the United Nations FAO, and as director of the San Mateo County Junior Museum.
In 1955 he moved to Washington D.C. where he worked for the National Geographic. From 1961 to 1980 Woody settled into a career as photographer for the National Park Service. During this time he was "one of the pioneers in opening the public eye to the last of the great and little known scenic areas of North America," including the newly designated parks in Alaska. A portfolio of his photos was presented to the Mellon and Rockefeller families and to China's Chairman Mao Tse-tung by President Nixon in 1972.
After retirement Woody continued as a freelance photographer and writer. He was a member of The Explorers Club, the American Society of Magazine Photographers, and the Golden Kiwanis.
Woody's connection with nature was deep and he used his gifts of seeing and interpreting to share beauty with the world. From the foggy shores of California to the golden Outer Banks of North Carolina he explored, recorded and then gifted us with his vision. With this expansive spirit he led his family to live in large, old, rambling houses. First in Inverness, Calif. and then for 44 years in rural Maryland, he created a home for the family he cherished nestled within the natural world he loved.
Woody was preceded in death by his son, Milo Woodbridge Williams Jr.; nephew, David Walton; and brothers-in-law, John Daly and Donald Walton.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 69 years, Beatrice; his beloved sister, Constance Walton; sisters-in-law, Edith Daly, and Rosalie Elliott; and daughters, Edith Williams of Greenville, Susan Spaulding and husband, Lincoln, of Rochester, N.Y., Betty Williams and husband, John Holter, of Greenville, Beatrice Williams Ross and husband, Mac, of Jarrettsville, Md.; grandchildren, Sarah and husband, Jeff Lydon, Eric and wife, Anna, and Mary Spaulding, Daniel, Ben and Beth Ross, Amy and David Holter; great-grandchildren Eva and Morgan Lydon; and many dear nieces and nephews.
Private service will be held in Maryland at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sempervirens Fund (protecting Redwood forests), 419 South Antonio Rd. Ste 211, Los Altos, CA 94022, to Stronghold, Inc., (Sugarloaf Mountain), 7901 Comus Rd., Dickerson, MD 20842, or to Spay Today, 4550-B County Home Road, Greenville, NC 27858.
Arrangements by Smith Funeral & Cremation Services.
Family Members
Flowers
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Records on Ancestry
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Milo Woodbridge Williams Sr.
Geneanet Community Trees Index
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Milo Woodbridge Williams Sr.
U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
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Milo Woodbridge Williams Sr.
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
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Milo Woodbridge Williams Sr.
1930 United States Federal Census
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Milo Woodbridge Williams Sr.
1940 United States Federal Census
Sponsored by Ancestry
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