James Williams

James F. Williams, 80, a retired Montgomery College professor of Computer Science and Mathematics, died on May 27th at a rehabilitation facility after being diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. He was born June 17th, 1939 to Fred and Miriam Williams and raised in the New York City borough of Queens.

Jim graduated from Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic School in 1953 and after 9 years of daily commuting by train, graduated from Brookland Technical High School in 1957. In 1962 he graduated with a BBA in Industrial Psychology and Statistics from City University of New York’s Baruch School of Business. Later that year, he was admitted to the doctoral program in Psychology at the University of Maryland (UMD) in College Park. During this time, he found himself drawn to computer programming and statistical analysis in the University’s newly opened Computer Science Center. Although his interest in Psychology waned, he earned a MA of Psychology in August of 1965.

Jim became a Computer Science instructor at UMD in 1966. While continuing to teach, he and another graduate formed a company called Forbes & Williams which designed software to process research data. For the next 25 years, Jim worked part-time at their company while also teaching full-time. In 1971 Jim began a full-time position at Montgomery College teaching Computer Science and Mathematics and retired from there as a tenured professor in 2001.

In 1967, Jim met Mary Kupin, a graduating Math major at the University of Maryland and they married later that year. They moved to Beltsville, Maryland in 1969, where they started a family and raised their five children. They were an integral part of the Beltsville community volunteering at Saint Joseph’s Church and Scouting events. Jim played several seasons in the church softball league, paddled on many canoe trips, watched his kid’s play tee ball and basketball, enjoyed watching professional sports of all kinds, tended a large productive vegetable garden, loved eating crabs and just spending time with his family. Jim and Mary retired to Leisure World in 2013. Jim was a devoted husband for 49 years and cared for Mary throughout her battle with Alzheimer’s.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents and wife Mary Williams. He is survived by his brother John (Jim), sister-in-laws Joellen Marek and Jane Kupin, children Mike (Jody), Steve (Cynthia), Dan (Jen), Ken (Christine), Laura (Ed) and grandchildren Noah, Katelyn, Ella, Ryan, Molly, Abby, Charlotte and Josie.

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