James S. Williams

James S. Williams

1923-2022

James Seth Williams, 98, of Los Lunas, died peacefully on July 29, 2022.

James is survived by four adult children, Tony and his wife, Stephanie, of Los Lunas, Chris and Pete, each single, of Albuquerque, and daughter, Meta and her husband, Bob Rosen, of Tempe, Ariz. He is also survived by six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne Tondre Williams, who died in 2013.

James was born on Sept. 20, 1923, in Tajique, N.M., to parents Seth and Beulah Williams. James was the last surviving of four children. Beulah taught school in Tajique. Seth was a farmer.

After a few years in Milan, N.M., and the South Valley, when James was 11 in 1934, the family bought a farm in El Cerro, and set up a small dairy and produce farm, taking advantage of the new drainage and reclamation project of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

James graduated from Los Lunas High School in 1940. While in high school, he worked at the family dairy and had an after-school job testing milk at local dairies.

James served proudly in the United States Navy in the Pacific during World War II, and for many years claimed to be the oldest living WWII veteran he knew of in Valencia County.

After the war, James married Anne Tondre, of Los Lunas, earned a bachelor’s degree in soil science at New Mexico State University and started his family. His career in business began selling agricultural products in El Centro, Calif., and later in New Mexico.

Through various corporate mergers and acquisitions, starting with the company he joined in Albuquerque, he became an executive in a publicly-traded company in the energy sector, retiring from a position in El Paso in about 1982.

James was a lifelong farmer, buying the family place in El Cerro right after the war. During his career as a corporate executive, James, with the help of his sons, farmed in El Cerro, at times cultivating hundreds acres and running a cattle feed lot and later grooming only a remaining parcel of alfalfa next to the family home, always tidy, verdant and admired by the his many new neighbors in new houses on the old surrounding farm parcels.

After retiring from his corporate job, James started Williams Glass Company with sons, Chris and Pete. In the early 2000s, James turned over to his sons a window distributorship in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.

James was a wonderful father, husband, friend and citizen. He will be dearly missed. His contributions to everything he touched will remain.

Arrangements are being handled by Romero Funeral Home. A service will be held at a later date.