Godfrey Williams

Godfrey E. "Fritz" Williams, age 87 of Freeport, died Monday, November 21, 2011 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11a.m. Saturday, November 26 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Freeport with Rev. Roger Klassen, O.S.B. officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. Military Honors will be provided by the Melrose Veterans Honor Guard.

Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church in Freeport. Parish prayers will be held at 5 p.m. followed by the Melrose Veterans Honor Guard at 6 p.m. Friday evening at the church.Godfrey Edward Williams was born March 30, 1924 in Freeport, Minnesota to Peter and Magdelena (Finken) Williams. Fritz served during WWII in the Army anti-aircraft division in France. At the age of 14, he started working for Joe Nett and also drove school bus. On January 26, 1957 he married Clara Beuning at Holy Spirit Church in St. Cloud. Fritz owned a Phillips 66 gas station in St. Cloud and then purchased the Freeport Motor Company and the Freeport bus routes in 1973, retiring in 1996.

He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Freeport and a lifetime member of the Schanhaar-Otte VFW Post 7050. Fritz enjoyed hunting, fishing, and had a special talent in his ability to fix just about anything.

Survivors include his wife, Clara Williams of Freeport; children, Jeffrey (Judy) Williams of White Bear Lake, Bruce (Loree) Williams of Freeport, Alan (Mary) Williams of Freeport, Mark (Terry) Williams of Strasburg, Colorado, Linda (Joe) Spadafore of Melrose, Eva Asplin of Audubon, and Roger (Mary Schneeweis) Williams of St. Cloud; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters, Walter "Butch" Williams of Melrose, Rose (Everett) Hanson of Rochester, Lawrence "Will" (Jan) Williams of Melrose, Christine (Marlow) Ihrke of Eyota, and Edmund (Shirley) Williams of St. Paul; and sisters-in-law, Alice Williams and Doreen Williams.

Fritz was preceded in death by his first wife, Charlotte Hockert; parents; sons, Dale and Keith Williams; and brothers, Clarence "Pete" Williams and Jerome "Jerry" Williams.

Serving as casket bearers will be Jason Williams, Chris Williams, Greg Williams, Shannon Williams, Bob Stroeing, and Brandon Gerads. Cross bearer will be Stacey Spadafore and scripture bearer will be Kim Williams. Honorary bearers will be the deer hunters.