Memorials › Francis Neil McWilliams
Francis Neil McWilliams
30 Oct 1927 – 14 Dec 2013
| Birth | 30 Oct 1927 |
| Death | 14 Dec 2013 |
| Cemetery | Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery Sierra Vista , Cochise County , Arizona , USA |
| Added by | Bill Bates on 08 Jan 2014 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122974992 |
Bio
courtesy of The Sierra Vista Herald (Jan. 8, 2014): Francis Neil McWilliams passed away on Dec. 14, 2013, from complications of kidney disease. He was born on Oct. 30, 1927, to Stephen and Edna (McNeel) McWilliams. Francis grew up in North Platte, Neb., and graduated from St. Patrick's High School. He served in the US Merchant Marine in 1944 and 1945. Following his service, he attended the University of Denver. He married the former Jacqueline Young in 1948. They moved to Mexico City, Mexico, where he graduated from the University of the Americas. He and his family lived in Zacapu, Mexico, for several years while Francis worked for Celanese MexicanaSA. When they learned that their son, Stephen, was deaf, the family returned to the United States for the better educational opportunities the country afforded Steve. Francis worked for Butler Manufacturing and the Maritz Corporation, where his creativity and sales expertise were assets to both organizations. In 1981, he was appointed president of Credit International Associates (CIA) in New York City. By the time of his retirement in 1996, he had created the largest stand-alone credit-broker organization in the United States. In 1983 he married the former Marianne Birch. They lived in New York City and Connecticut before moving with their two daughters to Sierra Vista, Ariz., in 1998. Although he did not live in Nebraska after high school, Francis was a loyal, almost fanatic, fan of the Cornhuskers football team. He received his private pilot license in 1960 and logged more than 4,300 hours in the several airplanes he owned and loved. He was a self-taught accordion player, entertaining guests at every opportunity. On one occasion in New York City, the downstairs neighbors of the hosts at a party Francis attended asked him to keep playing, just please stop tapping his foot on the floor. Francis was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Steve; his first wife, Jacqueline; and his brother, Larry. He is survived by his wife, Marianne; his daughters, Carol Riecker, Suzanna McWilliams, and Cristina McWilliams; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and numerous McWilliams and McNeel cousins. A funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, at 9 a.m. at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Sierra Vista. His family will celebrate his life at a reception at 2 p.m. at the Pueblo del Sol Country Club in Sierra Vista. His friends are invited to join his family to remember and celebrate.
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