Margaret Joyce Williams – Corporal, United States Marine Corps

Margaret Joyce Williams,  “Maggie” left her life with us here on earth. After nearly a five year battle against cancer, she passed April 24, 2009 at the age of 56. Her irrepressible spirit now soars with the angels, including her dear, departed daughter, U.S. Army Private First Class Sam Williams Huff.

A Tucson resident since the age of three, Maggie graduated from Palo Verde High School in 1970 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps early the following year. She completed boot camp at the top of her class and was awarded her “dress blues” uniform.

Excelling at the Air Traffic Control training program in Glynco, Georgia, Maggie again finished first in her class, the sole woman graduate. She spent a majority of her three year hitch at MCAS El Toro, California, 3rd Marine Air Wing as an Air Traffic Controller, on occasion with personal responsibility for landing Air Force One with President Nixon aboard. Maggie also served on a General’s flight crew.

Following her discharge in 1973, Maggie began a 14 year career as a dispatcher with the Tucson Police Department.In 1988 she was hired by Oro Valley Police Chief, Werner Wolff and Marana Police Chief, Lynn Radcliff to create a 911 call and dispatch center for those departments and serve as Communication’s Supervisor. Maggie’s natural
leadership abilities, coupled with her technical acumen helped the Oro Valley Police build one of the finest communications centers in the state.

Along the way, Maggie managed to find her soul mate, Mr. Robert Huff, with whom she raised her beautiful,
loving daughter, Sam.

Following the onset of cancer and the loss of Sam to the War in Iraq, Maggie retired in 2005 to concentrate on fighting her disease.

Maggie is survived by her husband, Robert Huff; her parents, Jud and June Williams; her brother, Doc Williams and his wife Izabel; her brother-in-law, Byron Huff and his wife, Sherry and her sister-in-law, Gloria Bennett and her husband, Ron.

She will always be remembered as a strong, courageous woman with a big-heart who told it like it was and never shrank from a challenge.

Maggie’s remains will be buried with her daughter, Sam, in Arlington National Cemetery, and, at Maggie’s request, there will be no memorial service.

WILLIAMS, MARGARET JOYCE

• CPL US MARINE CORPS
• DATE OF BIRTH: 07/30/1952
• DATE OF DEATH: 04/24/2009
• BURIED AT: SECTION 60  SITE 8109
  ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard