Kurtis Dale Williams

Kurtis Dale Williams left this life unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, due to a private plane accident south of Greensboro, North Carolina. Kurt was born on August 11,1970 in Des Moines, Iowa to Ann and John Williams. In high school, Kurt enjoyed wrestling, fishing, and hunting. He joined the US Navy at age 19, graduating as a flight engineer at the top of his class at Pensacola Naval Air Station. As a P3 flight engineer, he traveled the world, enjoying his primary duty stations in the Greek island of Crete, Diego Garcia, Hawaii, and Rota, Spain. During his time in Hawaii, he earned his private pilot license and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also served in the Hawaii Air National Guard/USAF. In Waikiki Beach, Kurt met his wife, Maria, and a year later they celebrated their wedding at a beautiful seaplane base in Honolulu. In 2004, they joyfully welcomed the birth of their son, Ted, and moved to the mainland, settling in North Carolina together. To finish his 20 years of service, he joined the Charlotte Air Guard/USAF. He served on multiple deployments overseas, including Afghanistan, Germany, and Thailand. In 2011, he retired with 20 years of military service. As a civilian, he started his aviation career at Cessna Aircraft Company and Honda Jet. Then, he was a CASA 212 pilot in Alaska, deploying smokejumpers, fighting fires all over the state. Next, he was granted a NASA contract with the P3 scientific research missions flying all over the world, including Argentina, Antartica, Greenland, Sao Tome Africa, Norway, and the Arctic Circle. Additionally, Kurt’s career included missions in the Philippines, Australia and the South Pacific Islands. Through all of these incredible opportunities, he was able to visit every continent embracing every moment to the fullest. In North Carolina, Kurt shared his love of the great outdoors and aviation with his son, Ted. In 2020, he purchased a Piper Cherokee, and Ted started flying with his dad on a regular basis. During this time, Kurt continued flying around the country assisting with the Covid 19 pandemic. Unfortunately, there was one last fateful flight in April 2023. Kurt is survived by his loving wife and son, as well as a multitude of family and friends all around the world. Memorial mass is celebrated Saturday, April 22 at 1:00pm at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 616 South Cherry Street, Kernersville, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Flight Training Fund for Ted Williams. https://gofund.me/a4efc756 Friends and family may offer online condolences at www.piercejeffersonfh.com