Jack Caldwell Williams, Sr., 78 of Columbus, N.C., died Thursday, March 12, 2015.

He was born in Greenville, S.C., on March 30, 1936, the son of the late Ransome Jack and Bernice Jones Williams. He attended the Greenville City Schools, won the state 14-and-under ping pong championship, successfully competed in statewide juniors as well as high school tennis, and was salutatorian of his class. He was awarded both an ROTC and an academic scholarship for Duke University. While there, he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi (social), Pi Mu Epsilon (mathematics honorary), and Sigma Pi Sigma (physics honorary) fraternities. He also lettered in tennis and served as team captain his senior year. While at Duke, he and Don Burdick had a very successful bridge partnership and placed well in a national collegiate tournament. He received his B.S. in physics in 1958 and then spent three years on the USS Canberra as an officer in the Navy before returning to Duke where he earned his master’s degree in mathematics in 1963.

During this time he married a college classmate, Beverley Anderson and they had five children, all of whom survive him: Elisabeth Ballmann of Cave Creek, Ariz., Mary Grove of Piedmont, Calif., Carmen Williams of Chapel Hill, N.C., Diane Liguori of San Carlos, Calif., and Jack Williams, Jr., of Bellevue, Wash.  He is also survived by his wife Marily Williams, of Columbus, N.C., his sister Anne Steinmeyer, of Landrum, S.C., and his brother John Williams, of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. He has four granddaughters and four grandsons.

Jack spent his career with IBM and attained a third level management position. He worked at several sites including Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and Austin, Texas. While pursuing his career, he also competed successfully in racquet sports (squash and badminton) and held a leadership role in the local Great Books program.

He is remembered for his generosity, his bridge skill (he was a Silver Life Master) and his love of animals, especially dogs. He volunteered for many organizations including KFMA Classical Radio in Austin, Texas, the American Rose Society, Foothills Humane Society and the Plantation Village Timeshare Owners’ Association Board in Grand Cayman.

A memorial service will be held April 25 at 2 p.m. at the Tryon Youth Center, 2969 U.S. 176 North in Tryon. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Duke University’s Annual Fund. For more information call 919-684-4419 or visit    http://dukeforward.duke.edu/ways-to-give/annual-fund.

An online guest register is available at www.mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com

McFarland Funeral Chapel,
Tryon, N.C.