With a great deal of sadness we share the news that Myron “Whitey” Williams Sr. passed away on Christmas morning. He was 91 years old. Always resilient, he survived three cardiac arrests over 30 years, but the fourth proved fatal.

Myron was born in Summit, New Jersey on December 1, 1934. Myron and his younger sister Mary Ann grew up on the East Coast where they enjoyed playing in the snow in winter and spent summers at Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire with grandparents and cousins. Parents Newton and Mary Ann Williams would take the train out to visit from New York on the weekends. The family moved to California in the 1940’s, settling in Redlands. Myron worked with his family on their orange grove and graduated from Redlands High School High in 1953.

After high school Myron struck off on his own. He moved to Big Bear Lake, California, where he met his first wife Barbara Day and worked for his father-in-law as a heavy equipment operator. Together they had two children, Ronald and Lynne Williams. Myron and Barbara subsequently divorced. Myron later met Penny Geraghty at her mother’s laundromat in Big Bear. Myron and Penny married in 1962. Penny had her own child from a previous marriage, Lavon, whom Myron adopted as his own. The new family especially enjoyed time off driving around in Myron’s stylish 1956 T-Bird convertible.

Myron and Penny moved to Las Vegas where Myron had his own gas station. From Las Vegas they relocated to South Seattle, where Penny’s father lived. That’s when daughters Wendy and Cherie were born, a little over a year apart. Myron was working the swing shift as a machinist at Boeing while Penny was cleaning houses as the family struggled to get established.

After a brief stint at Boeing, Myron bought Shamrock Dairy near Sea-Tac Airport from his father-in-law. Myron and Penny added a grocery store and homemade ice cream parlor to expand the business. The store had some scary times, like break ins and thefts, but the worst was an armed robbery in which Myron and a young employee were held up by two men with handguns. The thieves took all the money in the store and made Myron and his employee lie on the floor. The thieves were eventually arrested and while waiting for trial one of them came back to the store to ask Myron if he would drop the charges. The answer was blunt: “No, you nearly took the life of a man with five children for a few hundred dollars.”

A second son, Myron Jr., was born in 1971, followed by a daughter, Robin, in 1973. With seven kids Myron and Penny decided it was time to move to a safer place. Penny’s parents had settled in Friday Harbor and there was a grocery store for sale in town. The store was called Roberson’s and the rumor was that Roberson had lost the store to Mr. Scribner in a poker game. Myron and Penny bought the store from Boyce, and Penny and the kids moved to Friday Harbor while Myron stayed behind to sell Shamrock Dairy.

The new store was on First and Spring and was named Whitey’s Food Center after Myron’s childhood nickname because of his white hair. Myron and Penny bought Lakedale Campground in 1978. They sold both Whitey’s and Lakedale in 1988-1989 for their first retirement. They liked to keep moving, so after they sold both businesses they moved first to Oregon, then Winthrop, Washington where they owned a mini storage and later to Sedro Woolley, Washington.

After about 30 years away, they came home, as Myron called it, to San Juan Island. Sadly, Penny passed away just a few months after returning to Friday Harbor, leaving Myron to fend for himself, cooking and doing his own laundry. Needing something more to do with his time, Myron started working occasionally for his daughter Wendy at M & W Auto, cleaning cars, helping with licensing and offering priceless business advice. He was still washing cars in his eighties.

After a few years on his own Myron met, with some help from his daughter Wendy, and fell for islander Joan Byrne on a ferry ride to the mainland. They were married in a sweet backyard wedding in Palm Springs, California in 2017 and spent the rest of Myron’s days living happily in Friday Harbor. Joan had two children of her own from a previous marriage, Sean and Halley, both loved by Myron as his own.

Myron “Whitey” Williams is survived by his wife Joan Byrne, sister Mary Ann Foster (Tom) children Ronald Williams (Tookie), Lynne Williams Anderson (David), Wendy Williams Pinnow (Karl), Cherie Williams Geerdes (Mike), Myron Williams Jr, Robin Williams, Sean Byrne (Lillian) and Halley Byrne (Michael). He’s also survived by grandchildren Kenneth, Michelle, Jesse, Marissa, Brianne, Melisa, Kiah, Corbin, Devon, Kayla and Sydney. The blended family includes great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Myron was preceded in death by daughter Lavon Williams.

Myron cherished family, friends and acquaintances alike and shared his time-honored sound advice, common sense and finely burnished sense of humor generously with all. He was beloved by his family and deeply loved the Friday Harbor community.

There will be a celebration of life at beautiful Saltwater Farm (176 Sea Breeze Lane) on San Juan Island on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome.