Born: United States of America
Primarily active in: United States of America

1951 - 2017

Keith K. Roger Williams was born Sept. 10, 1951, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Williams joined Bell Helicopter in 1979, and was known as the “face of Bell Helicopter in Amarillo.” Although Bell had used the plant — about five hours’ drive northwest of Fort Worth, Texas — from 1968 to 1990 as a repair and overhaul facility, the company reactivated it in 1999 to build the V-22 Osprey and other military aircraft.

Williams was one of the first employees at the plant. He served as a site leader, director of administration, executive director and head of human resources, among other jobs, until his retirement in 2012.

Throughout his life, Williams possessed a strong sensibility to fairness and justice, exhibiting deep compassion for those who were suffering. He always made time to serve on community and non-profit boards, including the executive board of the local United Way from 2001 to 2013 — for which he co-chaired a 2008 campaign that raised more than $5M.

After retiring from Bell, he continued his involvement in the Amarillo community, particularly with the refuge population, driving vans to pick up local residents to weekly English classes at his church. He developed a strong passion for the needy in Haiti and devoted significant time, effort and resources to improving the lives of those in that country.

Keith Williams, of Amarillo, Texas, passed away on May 19, 2017; he was 65.

AHS Update: Vertiflite July/August 2017