Russell "Sam" Williams

Russell Samuel ‘Sam’ Williams passed away at his home in Madison, WI on June 3, 2024. He was 81.

Known to his family and friends as Sam, he was born August 8, 1942, in Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Westminster College, then served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 until his honorable discharge in 1972, and in the Naval Reserves for 25 more years. Sam earned his PhD in Engineering Science from Washington State University in 1979, and subsequently began his career with the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison in 1980.

Sam met his first wife, Laurie, in 1969, and together they raised their only child, Samantha, before their divorce in 1993. Samantha went on to raise three children of her own, and Sam was often visited by his grandchildren over the summer, and they always spent winter holidays together. His grandchildren cherish memories of picking tomatoes and blueberries in his garden during their childhoods, as well as sitting with him on the deck in the summer, shucking corn while he grilled.

Sam met his future wife, Sumire Kawamoto, in 1997 when she visited FPL while on sabbatical. Sumire earned a PhD from Kyoto University in Wood Science and continued her professional career in Japan until her mother passed away. Sumire and Sam had a "long-distance" marriage for many years; friends often referring to Sumire as his "imaginary wife” because Sam talked about her for years before anyone in Madison met her. Sam encouraged Sumire's daughter Yuriko to study music due to her skill at playing piano. She attended school in Japan and the United States and was accepted by three music graduate schools in the US.

Sam spent most of his career in the Wood Surface Chemistry Unit at the FPL, and loved to say that he spent his career “watching paint dry.” It was so much more than that; his research centered around degradation of wood and how various wood treatments helped to keep lumber from rotting. He developed international partnerships with the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Japan, where Sumire worked. Over his lengthy career at Forest Products, Sam published numerous scientific papers.

Sam had a passion for many things, including running (and winning) races in his younger years. As a graduate student in Pullman, WA, he was renowned as an outstanding middle-distance runner. He also competed in two well-regarded marathons—one in Portland, OR (2:22) and the other in Seaside, OR (2:21) - and won them both. Enduring friendships were forged over long training runs in the rolling hills of Eastern Washington during his years at WSU, and Sam delighted in surprising old friends when he returned for a runners’ reunion in 2016. Sam said that if he ran a race, he intended to win it…which tells you that Sam did not just dabble at doing things, he jumped in all the way. 

His commitment to excellence is also evidenced in his gorgeous gardens, which showcased everything from creeping groundcovers to an abundance of lilies, roses, a multitude of incredible flowers including amazing iris, seven-foot-tall dahlias and trellises covered in heavenly blue morning glories! He loved providing tours of his flower gardens. When you’d seen most of the flowers, he’d go on to his many fruit trees, and raspberry and blueberry plants. Then of course, there were the snap peas, Asian pears, and eggplants for Sumire.

Because Sam loved growing and tending plants, naturally, he needed more than just his yard, so he bought land near Blanchardville for a tree farm. He also loved to give tours of his many different types and sizes of trees, as well as describing what would be planted next year. Since he had loads of wood out there, he built and completely filled a woodshed, constructed with more detail and precision than many homes, except he didn’t put any doors in it!

It took little coaxing to get Sam to pull out his banjo or dobro and plunk bluegrass tunes ‘til all listeners were either tired of sitting or asleep. Along the way Sam found time to learn how to dance, and ballroom dancing became a favorite post-marathon-running hobby. He was always easy to spot on the dance floor with his remarkable moves and bright Hawaiian shirts.

Storytelling from his many life experiences entertained friends and produced much laughter. Along with storytelling, Sam would at times stop a euchre game in its tracks by reciting the very lengthy “Cremation of Sam McGee” or “The Train to Morrow”. He had a fine knack for memorizing poetry! In addition, woodworking, lapidary, walking, reading science fiction and a love of old Mustang cars gave him plenty of projects to fill his days.

He is survived by his wife Sumire Kawamoto Williams; daughter Samantha Marie Williams; Sumire's daughter Yuriko Kawamoto Williams; Samantha’s mother Lauretta Jo Dunlap; and grandchildren Corrina Marie Furman, Ryan Samuel Furman, and brother-in-law Masaharu Kawamoto. He was preceded in death by his parents Russell Samuel Williams and Mary Simpson Williams; his sister Susan Jack Williams; granddaughter Alyssa Jo Furman; and his mother-in-law, Hakuun Kawamoto-Yabuuchi, a Buddhist priest (Pure Land) in Japan.

Cress Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for the family. An outdoor Celebration of Life will take place on Tuesday, June 18, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm with military honors at 2:00 pm, at Mary Binkley and Dennis Petzke’s home: 5754 River Road, Waunakee.

We welcome you to share your thoughts and memories on Sam's Tribute Wall.