Robert C. Williams ’67

Bob died Dec. 10, 2016, in Detroit after a long battle with renal cancer. 

Bob came to Princeton from Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Mich., where he had been active in student government and on the hockey team.  

Bob’s father, Charles, was in the Class of 1938. During his freshman year at Princeton, he roomed with Mike Flynn, a friend from grade school. Bill Heyd joined them for the next three years. Bob was a member of Quadrangle and majored in history. He wrote his thesis, “The Role of the Negro in the Reconstruction of Louisiana,” for James McPherson. After Princeton, he graduated from Michigan Law School, taught writing at Catholic University School of Law, and clerked on the Michigan Supreme Court for G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams ’33, his second cousin.  

In 1972, Bob joined the Oakland County prosecutor’s office, where he headed the appellate division for several decades during a long and distinguished career. He argued many cases before the Michigan Supreme Court and retired in 2009.  

Surviving Bob is his longtime partner, Lisa Varnier, and his brother Jim, sister-in-law Marva, and their family. He was especially close to his nephews, David and Jim Jr., and their families.  

To friends and family alike, Bob was known for being interested in and generous toward others. He peppered you with friendly questions and remembered your answers. Only with persistence could you get Bob to talk much about himself. His generosity, including for local charitable and social causes, was typically without bravado. Bob’s genuine friendship, impish humor, mild manner, disguised toughness, and quiet smarts enriched many lives.