R. Frank Williams 90, of Fort Branch died Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at River Oaks Health Campus in Princeton.

Rufus Frank Williams was born Oct. 31, 1923, in Wheatland to R. Frank and Beulah Chadwell Williams. 

Frank, his parents, and his younger brother Ralph who precede him indeath, moved to Princeton where Frank graduated from Princeton High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During World War II, he served for 3 ½ years in the South Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier Saginaw Bay.

After returning from the service, Frank married the former Grace Lillian DeLong on June 29, 1947. They celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary before her death on Feb. 20, 2014. 

He also attended and graduated from Lockyear Business College.  After serving as office manager at the Highway Machine Shop for three years, he began working at the Gibson County Farm Bureau Co-op in 1950.  For 36 years, Frank guided the Co-op. When he retired as Executive Vice President in 1987, it had grown exponentially. After retiring from the Co-op, he represented the Indiana Masonic Home Foundation for twenty years.

Frank was a member of Fort Branch Lodge # 696 F. & A.M. and appendant bodies including the York Rite and Scottish Rite. He served as Grand Commander of Indiana in 1977 and was a 33rd Degree Mason. He escorted nineteen tours of Christian ministers sponsored by the Knights Templar to the Holy Land. As a lifelong member of Enon General Baptist Church, Frank taught Sunday School, served as Trustee and was chairman of the building committee in 1968.  Frank also belonged to Gideons International and the Order of the Eastern Star.

Survivors include three daughters, Marjan LaGrange of Newburgh, Chris Wallace, and Patty Sollman (Tom) both of Fort Branch; six grandchildren: Ben Wallace, Rebecca Wallace Lamb, Elizabeth LaGrange Muster, Amanda LaGrange, Robert Sollman, and Elise Sollman; and three great-grandchildren, Abigail, Michael, and Kellen Wallace.

At his request, Frank’s body was cremated. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, July 7 at Enon General Baptist Church in Princeton. Muster Funeral Homes, Calhoun Chapel is handling funeral arrangements.