David (Dave) Henry Williams, Jr., age 95, peacefully entered into eternal rest on July 11, 2026, in Charleston, South Carolina. Born on March 29, 1931, in Portsmouth, Ohio, he was the beloved son of the late David Henry Williams and Erline Daniel Williams.

Dave went to Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky and lettered in multiple sports including football; he was proud to be crowned king of his Senior Prom.

Dave earned both a B.S. (1953) and M.S. (1954) in Mechanical Engineering from what was then known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now known as Virginia Tech). Dave was honored to be a Hokie; he proudly wore the Maroon and Orange every chance he got. He also was a long-time donor to Viriginia Tech and was an advisor for the Hokie 100.

Dave served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956 as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including duty as a company commander in a construction battalion.

In 1952, Dave met the love of his life, Betty Cabel Giles. In December of 1954 they married in Roanoke, VA as Dave was starting up his officer commission at Fort Knox, KY. Their first child David Giles was born at Fort Knox, followed by daughters Susan and Sally in New York.

Dave joined the American Electric Power Service Corporation (AEP) in 1956. He had a long career with AEP and was responsible for their entry into the nuclear power plant industry. He also pioneered the use of Electric Power Transmission lines for telecom transmission. Dave was named Chief Mechanical Engineer and retired in the C-suite as Senior Executive Vice President of Engineering and Construction. During his time at AEP, Dave was also responsible for the conversion of the Zimmer nuclear power plant in OH back to a fossil fuel plant in a time when the public favor of nuclear energy was at its low.

Dave also had a short career with Kaiser Engineers in Oakland, CA from 1971-1977. He was responsible for worldwide construction of power plants including power generation facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Dave, an honored Kentucky Colonel, cherished playing golf and traveling to Hawaii with Betty. To be close to the beach and golf, in 1993 Betty and Dave retired to South Carolina.

During his career Dave traveled constantly and is remembered by two quotes:

· With my luck when my ship come in, I will probably be at the airport”

· Known at AEP as the Seagull, colleagues said he “flies in, poops, and messes things up.”

Dave is survived by his son, David Giles Williams (Beth Parish) of Rockland, ME, and his two daughters, Susan C. Williams of Brunswick, OH, and Sally D. Williams of Daniel Island, SC. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his beloved wife Betty, his grandson, Brent Parish Williams, and his sisters, Page Virginia Williams and Mary Williams Long.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wren Hospice, 7410 Northside Dr., North Charleston, SC 29420.