Louie "Eddie" Williams

Louie Edward “Eddie” Williams passed peacefully in his home on Thursday April 8th, 2021 at the age of 87. Eddie was a lifelong Hampton resident and attended Hampton High school where he met his loving wife of 73 years, Anne M. Williams. After graduating high school, Eddie went on to study engineering and later received his degree in Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1958. He began a career at NASA in 1961 where he worked on several impactful projects such as Project Fire, the Viking Project, and the 8-Foot High Temperature Tunnel Modification Project before retiring in 1994. While at NASA he received several distinguishing awards such as an Apollo Achievement Award, two Exceptional Service Medal Awards for his work on the National Transonic Facility, and several other group project awards. He has been described by colleagues as a “truly outstanding engineer.” In his free time, Eddie could be found out on the water sailing. His love for boats started at a young age and quickly blossomed into a burning passion that filled his days even till death. He enjoyed not only sailing but also working on boats, specifically rigging. He is most known around the sailing community as “Fast Eddie”, a nickname he was given by his sailing colleagues for his fast sailing and repeated wins in different Regattas around the Chesapeake Bay area. Eddie had a love for the Hampton One Design boat unlike any other, and has been dubbed by the class as the “Keeper of the Hampton One Design”. Eddie has influenced the Hampton One Design Class in many ways but most importantly through his work with two other sailing colleagues to create a fiberglass model for the Hampton One. After winning his first Hampton One Design Nationals in 1968 in a fiberglass model, Eddie went on to win three more Hampton One Design Nationals throughout his career in addition to the dozens of first-place wins at other Regattas around the world. Eddie Williams holds a unique place in the CBYRA sailing community - boat builder, sailmaker, and many-time winner of the Hampton One Class Championship Regatta. He is an iconic legend in Chesapeake Bay sailboat racing.

Eddie was preceded in death by his wife, Anne M. Williams; his daughter, Suzanne W. McDaniel; his grandson, Matthew S. McDaniel; and his sister, June Egnot. He is survived by his granddaughter, Anne-Wilson M. Smith and husband, Jeffrey Smith, of Houston, TX and son-in-law, Anthony M. McDaniel of Temple, TX. A memorial service for Louie Edward “Eddie” Williams will be held Friday, April 16th, 2021 at 1pm at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home in Hampton, VA. There will be a reception honoring Eddie following the service at the Hampton Yacht Club. Masks and social distancing are required for the safety of everyone attending.