Walter Williams, 81, of Redfield, died March 15, 2012 at home.

His funeral will be Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church. Reverend Stephen Perry will officiate. Burial will be in Greenlawn Cemetery in Redfield at a later date.

Visitation will be Monday, from 1-8:00 p.m. at Thelen Funeral Home with Masonic Rites and a prayer service starting at 7:00 p.m. with the family present at 6 p.m. (www.thelenfuneral home.com)

Walter James Williams was born November 25, 1930, to Alva and Pearl (Kuhns) Williams on a farm in Harmony Township, Spink County, SD, during a sleet storm. He attended school in Frankfort and graduated from Redfield High School. He married the love of his life, Alta Joan Schultze, on December 26, 1948. They were blessed to become the parents of Ted, Cathy, and Mary Jo. He was employed six years by Hill Motors selling auto parts covering the northeast corner of the state. He then worked with Hansen Motor for nearly 30 years. In the mid-1980s, he moved to California and went into the real estate business. He returned to Redfield and assumed the former Wayne Nelson agency and continued in the real estate business, known as Williams Realty. He also owned and managed the Supper Club in Redfield with his family for several years.

Walt served on the Redfield City Council for eleven years. He was president of the city council at the time of the mayor's death, and he completed the remainder of the mayor's term. It was then Walt learned that he was not a very good politician. He was active with the Junior Chamber of Commerce and served as president.
Walt started playing saxophone and clarinet for dances at eleven years of age with his father's dance band, the Dakotans. Later, he played with the Harry Eisele orchestra and the Lyn Dorsey orchestra. In those days, dance bands would come through and if they were short a musician, he would fill in for them. He was a member of the Mason Dixon Four, a barbershop quartet made up of Bill Dorsey, Harold Jones, Marty Hicks, and Walt. They were very active in the Redfield follies and performed all around upper mid-eastern South Dakota. He was a member of the United Methodist Church choir and the Yelduz Shrine Chanters and is a past director of both. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge for almost 60 years. He was inducted into the Dakota Musicians Association Hall of Fame in 1996.
Walt was very proud of his family.

He is survived by his wife, Joan, of 63 years; children: Ted (Shannon) Williams, Redfield; Cathy (Vahid) Fathi,Naperville, IL; Mary Jo (Chukk) Haselhorst, San Antonio, TX, and foreign exchange student daughter, Mimi (Firooz) Milani, London, England. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren: Ryan Williams, Brent (Ingrid) Williams and daughters - Eliza and Georgia, Dustin Waldner (Traci Samelson) and son - Weston, Jason Fathi, Justin Fathi, Nicole Fathi, Erik Haselhorst, and Ali Haselhorst. He has a surviving brother, Robert, in Sioux Falls.

He is looking forward to being with his grandson Chad, his parents, his sister Vivian and her husband Calvin Power.

In lieu of flowers the family prefers memorials to the Yelduz Shrine Transportation Fund or the Yelduz Shrine Chanters.