William LaMarr Williams

Layton, Utah, USA

W. LaMarr Williams passed away at age 84 in Layton, Utah, on the 4th of January 2021 from the effects of the COVID-19 virus. LaMarr was born to adoring parents William Samuel Williams and Edna Marie Lorenzen Williams DeVisser on Christmas Day 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was fortunate to be raised among a close extended family that consisted of loving grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints having been baptized in April, 1945. He attended Franklin Elementary School, Jackson Junior High School, and graduated with Honors from West High School in 1955.

He was musically gifted and had a love for music that manifested in playing multiple instruments including the piano and accordion and receiving certification in Choral Conducting from the General Music Committee of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. LaMarr attended the University of Utah on a music scholarship during which time he utilized these skills as the Drum Major of the University of Utah Marching Band. He loved Jazz music and his family fondly remembers him sitting down at the piano and playing his favorite jazz tunes by ear for hours enveloped in the joy he found in it. In his later years when his fingers could no longer play, he would summon Alexa to play Jazz music as he would close his eyes, smile, tap along to the rhythm, and name the song and artist engulfed in that same joy.

In 1957 he was called to serve in the New Zealand South Mission for 2 1/2 years. During his time among the Maoris, he developed a deep love for them and often referred to them as “chosen people” wanting to move back there to live among them. He would frequently and emotionally reminisce about his time spent building the Auckland Temple and experiences with people whose names he still remembered. In his later years one of his favorite activities was to listen to his children reading the history of the LDS church in New Zealand and would tearfully lend his testimony to the miracles that were documented in that history and that he personally experienced there.

After his return home from his mission, he worked for the West Bend Company and in February 1964, LaMarr went to Sydney, Australia, to set up a business importing their products from the USA. He was a hard worker who found success through dedication and persistence.

During his time there, he met Ailsa Florence Neumann and they traveled back to Salt Lake City to be married on the 13th of November, 1970.
Upon their return to Sydney, they established a home and business and in 1971 welcomed a daughter, Karen Marie and in 1972 a son, Jason Frederick. They later divorced but were able to jointly share the happiness of their children and grandchildren. LaMarr had a love of "Corvettes" and from 1966 on he imported them into Australia. He

subscribed to corvette magazines and loved to research the new specs and admire the pictures of the “greatest car ever built”. He would enthusiastically share that information with anyone and grandchildren were well instructed on the mechanical and structural aspects of the corvette while perusing the pages of the magazine together.

He was a loyal follower of Dr. Oz and watched him religiously keeping a notebook of all of his advice and implementing health practices that he recommended. Medical practitioners that cared for him in his later years knew that any intervention they suggested had to be Dr. Oz approved!
He was a fan of Jeopardy and looked forward to the 5 pm showing everyday where he would marvel at the expansive knowledge base of the contestants. He would pick favorite contestants and root for them day after day as they moved to the championship rounds.

He was extremely proud of his children and grandchildren and they will remember numerous rounds of chess games, being called “Tiger” or “Sweet”, sports stats discussions and listening to his life experiences. He was most at peace when he was sitting in his arm chair surrounded by the chaos of grandchildren loudly and vivaciously filling the room with activity and noise.

We firmly believe that he is now similarly surrounded by those he loves vivaciously celebrating long awaited reunions with them. His father William Samuel, mother Edna Marie, sister Judy Marie, grandson Dallin Frederick, his grandparents Williams and Lorenzen, aunts and uncles, and others who have preceded him in passing have been joyfully reunited.

Those of us who survive him, Karen and Robb Harrop (daughter and son in law), Jason and Janae Williams (son and daughter in law), and grandchildren Caleb and Kaleis, Emma, Sarah and RJ, Jordan and Ashlyn, Sam, Josh, Jonathan, Crew, and Sydney find great solace in imagining those tender reunions and the happiness and peace he is experiencing now. There are so many people to be thanked that contributed to the peaceful and rich quality of his life especially in his later years. A special Thank You to the family of Chancellor Gardens staff. We are immensely grateful for the love and attention you showed him for many years. His life will be remembered Thursday the 21st at 2 pm at Larkin Mortuary. Due to COVID-19, close family will be in attendance and all others are invited to join virtually via zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89808945884?pwd=ZFpmZ0M4cFg4VUNHMzRDbm0zOUdrQT09