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Obituary
Thomas Leslie Williams
Thomas Leslie Williams
Posted 10/28/12
Funeral services for Thomas Leslie Williams, 83, of Broadus, Mont., will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Powder River Congre-gational Church in Broadus.
Visit-ation will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Broadus. Burial will be at the Valley View Cemetery.
Mr. Williams died on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012, in Broadus.
He was born to Tom G. and Isabel Williams in Indiana, while his father was working on a construction job. He later traveled with his mother and sister Loyce by train to Kendrick, west of Arvada, where they were met by his father.
He walked to school through all 12 grades, graduating in spring 1947. During his high school years, after age 13, he worked on numerous local ranches during the summer. He worked with a survey crew during the summer at age 16.
After graduation, he attended Montana State University Bozeman for four quarters, quitting for lack of money. He went to work in the oil field in the Worland area.
His father contacted him in May 1950 and asked him to return home to help. Thus began Williams & Sons Construction.
In January 1951, he was eligible for the draft in the Korean War. He chose to enlist in the Air Force, and deployed to Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, as an airplane mechanic.
In March 1952, he met Johnie Ballard. They were married in May 1952.
Upon his discharge in 1955, the family returned to Montana, and rejoined Williams & Sons Construction. In 1956, they bought their current property.
In the early 1980s, due to a slow down at Williams & Sons, they moved to Gillette and formed a joint venture with his son-in-law. He later went to work at a coal mine north of Gillette.
He was raised to a Master Mason, he was Master of Masonic Lodge twice, and was a 50-plus-year member of the lodge. He was also Worthy Patron of Star three times, and served on the City Council. He was also regional vice president for LICA.
Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, Johnie; two sons, Jacob Williams and John Williams of Gillette; three daughters, Pamela Boyd of Tacoma, Wash., Patricia Reeves of Aurora, Colo., Rose Mary Shubert of Gillette; two brothers, Loren Williams of Texas and Kenneth Williams of Granville, Ohio; one sister, Eva Loyce Williams Cossitt of Broadus; 14 grandchildren; and numerous great grandchildren.
Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Broadus is in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be sent to www.stevensonandsons.com or attached to the obituary at www.gillettenewsrecord.com.