West Stockbridge – Roy Christopher Williams, 67, of Great Barrington Road in West Stockbridge, passed away on January 29, 2020 doing what he loved, working at his gravel pit in Great Barrington.
Chris was born in Pittsfield, Mass., on June 7, 1952, to William E. Williams and Esther Perkins Williams of Stockbridge.
Chris’s passion was always to work and develop the land, both in the Berkshires and in central Maine, where his family is from and where he built a cabin and tended his small woodlot. Aside from working in construction, Chris loved to play golf, clear brush, chop wood, and play cards. He always took care of his family. His favorite time of the day was before anyone got up around 4:30 a.m. – “the best time of the day.”
Chris grew up in the Interlaken section of Stockbridge. He attended Plain School in Stockbridge and graduated from Monument Mountain Regional in 1970 with honors. He was accepted into Amherst College with an athletic scholarship for football and baseball, where he majored in Political Science. He received a master’s degree in accounting from Northeastern University.
Chris was married in 1977 to Phoebe Kapteyn. He founded Williams Paving with his brother Bill in 1976 in West Stockbridge and worked most of his life with his brother Bill in their business, Williams Paving. He started Chris Williams Excavating in 2007, which he passed on to his son last year.
He will be known for his kind heart, his hard work, his love for the land, and his devotion to his wife Phoebe and their three children, as well as for his siblings, close friends, colleagues and extended family. He gave of himself fully to all of us.
Chris is survived by his wife Phoebe Kapteyn Williams of West Stockbridge, his son Andrew Perkins Williams (wife Emily Ivey Williams) of West Stockbridge, daughter Molly (husband Andrew Wilmot) of Fort Collins, Colo., and son Sam (partner Stephanie Johnson) of Oakland, Calif., his older brother Bill (wife Rae Bradbury) of Stockbridge, his older sister Sue (husband Wendell Chamberlain) of Isle au Haute, Maine, his many nieces and nephews, and his beloved grandchildren Laura Ann and Abigail Williams.
SERVICE: The funeral service will be held on Monday, February 3rd at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 29 Main St., Stockbridge, Mass., conducted by Rev. Sam Smith.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, February 2 from 2 -5 p.m. at FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME in Great Barrington.
He loved the northern woodlands in Maine. Donations in lieu of flowers can be given to The Forest Society of Maine, c/o FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230 or online at https://www.fsmaine.org/ To send remembrances to his family please go to www.finnertyandstevens.com
