Christopher R. Williams

Christopher "Chris" Ralph Williams, 50, Leawood, Kansas passed away on Friday, July 10, 2015 at his home. He was born July 25, 1964 in Des Moines, Iowa to Beverly (Block) and Wayne Watson Williams. He was the youngest of seven children. Siblings include: Marilyn, Wayne, Charles, Fred, Mike and Sherry. From this brood, came his favorite niece Annette and his favorite nephew Corey, who were both born within a few years of Christopher and were more like siblings to him. Chris grew up in Manhattan, Kansas where his father was a professor of engineering at Kansas State University. His Dad taught him to fly the family airplane and Chris’ first job was flying his father around the country to his various engineering jobs. His love of airplanes and all things related to aviation lasted throughout his life. He and his wife, Christy, translated Chris’ love of aviation into a niche website: www.bush-planes.com. He graduated from Manhattan High School and maintained his friendships with his high school friends into his adult years. This group participated, mostly undetected, in many shenanigans, sometimes landing Christopher in the principal’s office. He gained notoriety by allegedly barnstorming a high school football game where the crowd could be heard chanting his middle name “Ralph” with vigor and wild abandon. As a young man, the principal noticed how craftily Chris defended himself against allegations of wrongdoing and suggested to his parents that he had the makings of a fine lawyer. After that time he attended Kansas State University for 3 years and finished his undergraduate work at the University of Kansas. Chris graduated from Denver University School of Law in 1990 and was a proud trial lawyer for 25 years. He loved helping clients and had a reputation of being a feared cross examiner and an expert trial lawyer. There were many occasions where the other side’s witness went red in the face, were reduced to tears and asked for the assistance of their own legal counsel. Outside the courtroom, he was always a gentleman, held the highest standards of professional ethics and never lost his sense of humor. During his tenure as a trial attorney he formed the Wyandotte County Criminal Defense Bar and provided free legal education seminars each month so that he and his colleagues could remain in compliance with attorney licensing requirements. Chris was very fortunate to inherit his mother’s charismatic and humorous nature and his father’s deep intellectualism. His book collection, consisting of thousands of volumes and weighing more than his car, was donated to various Kansas libraries. He was an avid bird watcher, a skilled photographer, vacationed on every continent, spoke 5 languages and loved animals, especially his dog Smoochie. (He wanted everyone to know that it was his wife who named the dog.) Besides flying airplanes and helicopters, he also enjoyed scuba diving (sometimes with sharks), skiing, hang gliding, watching live hockey games, attending rock concerts, eating bar-be-que, drinking beer and camping at State Lake 2. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers: Fred and Wayne. He is survived by his wife, Christy Caddell, his beloved yellow Labrador retriever Smoochie and a large family of siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service will be held in his honor on Saturday, July 25, 2015, with public and family visitation from 10 to 11 AM with the memorial service following at 11 AM, at the Countryside Christian church at 6101 Nall Ave. in Mission, Kansas. Fond memories of Chris and words of comfort may be shared at: www.CashattFamilyFunerals.com.

Christopher R. Williams

July 25, 1964 - July 10, 2015