John Anthony Williams

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "John Anthony Williams"

Collin Lawson
5 years ago
Views:

1 A Witness to the Resurrection and Celebration of the Life of John Anthony Williams March 19, 1943 April 16, 2018

2 ORDER OF SERVICE April 23, pm Peachtree Presbyterian Church Prelude Solo Great is Thy Faithfulness Welcome and Scripture Opening Prayer Memorial Remarks and Reflections Jay Williams son the Honorable Roy E. Barnes Former Governor the Honorable JOHNny Isakson United states Senator Arthur M. Blank Owner and Chairman Blank Family of Businesses Pastor Emeritus Peachtree Presbyterian Church hymn Just A Closer Walk With Thee Scripture and Message Pastoral Prayer and the Lord s Prayer Benediction Recessional Amazing Grace Just a Closer Walk With Thee I am weak but Thou art strong Jesus keep me from all wrong I ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee Just a closer walk with Thee Grant it, Jesus, is my plea Daily walking close to Thee Let it be, dear Lord, let it be When my feeble life is o er Time for me will be no more Guide me gently, safely o er To Thy kingdom s shore, to Thy shore Just a closer walk with Thee Grant it, Jesus, is my plea Daily walking close to Thee Let it be, dear Lord, let it be Amazing Grace Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found Was blind but now I see. When we ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We ve no less days to sing God s praise Than when we first begun. Postlude

3 John Anthony Williams March 19, 1943 April 16, 2018 John A. Williams had a passion for work, family, friends, and the City of Atlanta. John was a proud native Atlantan, iconic businessman, visionary and real estate mogul. Known as the Apartment King, John lived for work and took two successful companies public, shaping the multi-family industry into what it is today. The entrepreneur and leader, age 75, passed away surrounded by his loving family on April 16, 2018, following a brief illness. Never one to forget his humble beginnings, John was born in Thomasville, Georgia to Bernard Wilmont Williams and Louise Smith Williams on March 19, His family then moved to southwest Atlanta, where he spent his childhood. John attended Southwest High School, from which he graduated one year early. He then put himself through Georgia Tech and graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Management. John had a can-do attitude and never took no for an answer. He credited his success not to being smarter than anyone, but by working harder and putting in more hours than everyone else. At 26, John was working for Georgia Power selling power to apartment complexes in Metro Atlanta when he had a vision to transform traditional apartment communities by improving landscaping, security and professional management. In 1970, John founded Post Properties, Inc., a company he built from scratch to become the most recognized apartment brand in the industry at its time. He set the standard for high quality residential apartment home development, transforming the apartment industry and cityscapes around the country. After leaving Post Properties, John made lightning strike twice when he founded another company, Preferred Apartment Communities where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, taking the company public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: APTS). Over the course of his career, John directed and coordinated the development, construction, and management of more than $15 billion in real estate development. John was so proud of PAC, not only because of its incredible performance or the fact that it was his second public company, but because of its associates. John emphasized the importance of corporate culture, always pushing his associates to do their very best, get results and have fun. John s commitment to growth and involvement in the community ran deep and personal for him. His impact on Cobb County and the City of Atlanta was significant. John was a national leader in the urban development concept and was widely credited with coining the phrases, Smart Growth and Live, Work, Play. John received numerous awards and honors throughout his legendary career, including: the prestigious Four Pillar Award; Entrepreneur of The Year, by both Stanford Business School and Ernst & Young; The Wall Street Transcript CEO Award for Commercial Real Estate; CEO of The Year, by Financial World; National Real Estate Investor s list of The 20th Century s Most Influential Developers; Atlanta Business Chronicle s award for Atlanta Residential Developer of The Decade; Harvard Business School s Community Leadership Award; and Cobb County s The Mack Henderson Public Service Award. John was inducted into the Multi-Housing News Hall of Fame; the Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business Hall of Fame; and, the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Management Hall of Fame. John was the Chairman of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce twice and Chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He served as the President of the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Atlanta, Chairman of the Metro Business Forum, and Chairman of the Regional Business Coalition. John was instrumental in creating the Community Improvement District (CID), he is the Founder and past Chairman of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. He was the driving force in the creation of the Cobb Galleria Center and the transformation of Marietta Square. He was on the boards of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, Atlanta Regional Commission, and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. John served as the initial Chairman of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority Venue and Ballroom complex. He served as an emeritus board member at The Lovett School, which all three of his children attended. John served on the board of the Atlanta Falcons, of which he was a minority owner.

4 John s generosity was as legendary as his work ethic. He was giving of both his time and resources. John s philanthropic efforts benefited many organizations throughout the city. John was heavily involved with: Georgia Tech, The Lovett School, Piedmont Hospital, and Children s Healthcare of Atlanta where gifts were typically made in honor of others. He was particularly proud of the completion of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, the 2,800-seat theater and ballroom. John was a member of Cherokee Town & Country Club, Piedmont Driving Club, The Georgian Club, the New York Yacht Club, and Peachtree Presbyterian Church where he served multiple terms as an Elder and had significant involvement in the growth and development of the church. John was an accomplished yachtsman, building several extraordinary sailboats, including J-Class yacht, Ranger his pride and joy. John pioneered the modern day J-Class revival. He loved nothing more than spending time on the water with his family and friends while competing in and winning regattas all over the world. What brought John the most joy was sharing the regatta experience with countless others. John had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. He truly cared about people and considered everyone family. John loved his family, his work family, his sailing family, his skiing family, and all the friends who he made feel like family. While John was an iconic real estate developer, entrepreneur, community man, and philanthropist; he is most remembered for his larger than life personality, contagious smile, competitive spirit, and emphasis on loyalty. John is survived by his loving wife Nancy; son Jay (daughter in-law, Mary); daughter Sarah Brook (soon-to-be son in-law Paul Austin); son Parker; and grandsons Jack and Harrison. He was predeceased by his brothers, Wilmont Williams and Earl Nance. The Lord s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. PRESIDING Senior Pastor Peachtree Presbyterian CHurch Pastor Emeritus Peachtree Presbyterian CHurch MUSICIANS Tom Alderman Organ Andy Bayles Piano Timothy Miller soloist Jessica Wu Violin Yinzi Kong Viola Guang Wang Cello Gifts in memory of John A. Williams may be given to Piedmont Heart Institute or to a charity of your choice. Mace Hibbard saxophone Elizabeth Fayette Violin Henry Frantz Bagpipes

5 RECEPTION The Williams family invites you to attend a Reception at Cherokee Town & Country Club following today s memorial service. There is limited parking at the club, so please consider using the shuttle service located in front of Family Commons, located to the right of the Sanctuary. The shuttles will be running throughout the duration of the reception. MEMORIAL GUILD Sally Hinkle Judy Bicknell Margaret Carriere Flora Davis Mark Dodson Betsy McCamey Edie Purdie Jane Walsh 3434 Roswell Road NW Atlanta, GA PeachtreeChurch.org

William John Bill Harper

William John Bill Harper April 4 th 1926 December 30 th 2017 Words of Welcome Rosemary Steele Opening Prayer Reading Psalm 23 Read by Georgia Sampson The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh