Wayne L. Williams

Died with his family by his side on September 18, 2016. He was born in Oshkosh on October 18, 1927 to Florence (Jones) and Merle Williams. He graduated from UW Madison in 1949 earning a BBA with a major in accounting. Later he returned to complete an MBA from UW Milwaukee in 1965. Wayne married his high school sweetheart, Kay (Bender) in 1950 and had two daughters.  He served as an officer in the Air Force from 1950-1954 with a tour of duty in Okinawa during the Korean War, receiving several medals for his service. After the war, he pursued a career in accounting and finance in Racine and became Controller and Treasurer with Belle City Malleable. Later he served as Chief Financial Officer of TL Smith in Milwaukee and Dairyland Food Laboratories in Waukesha from 1973 until his retirement in 1989.  Following Kay’s death in 1965, he married Ruth (Drew), his wife of over 48 years. Wayne enjoyed a life- long love of music, playing the saxophone whenever possible, most recently with the DixieKats.  He was passionate about animal welfare, serving on HAWS as board member and treasurer for 9 years.  In addition Wayne was a Rotarian for many years.  He and Ruth enjoyed extensive travel especially following his retirement. He loved spending time with his grandchildren. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents and Kay (Bender). He is survived by his wife, Ruth,daughters Joan (Robert) Ray, Gail (Fred) Jahnke and grandchildren Adam (Heidi), Aaron and Anne Marie Jahnke.

A celebration of his life will be held at Krause Funeral Home, 21600 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield, WI on Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 10:00 AM-11:15 AM, with a funeral service to immediately follow, at 11:30 AM.   He will be buried beside Kay at West Lawn Cemetery in Racine.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorials to HAWS or the First Congregational Church of Waukesha.  The family wishes to thank the physicians and staff of Waukesha Memorial Hospital and Seasons Hospice Care for outstanding and compassionate care.