LAS CRUCES – Architect Gary D. Williams may not be a household name in Las Cruces, but his designs created some of the city’s most notable buildings, including Organ Mountain High School (formerly Oñate), Field of Dreams, and Doña Ana Community College East Mesa campus.
Williams, 71, passed away unexpectedly on January 6, leaving his family and friends in shock.
His 18-year-old wife, Judy Williams, said she wants his hometown of Las Cruces, where he lived and worked for over 30 years, to be remembered.
“I want people to know he passed,” Judy said. “His employees loved him very much.”
Designing a Master Architect
Williams didn’t want to be an architect.
“He went to college about six months after high school, and his father pushed him to be an engineer,” Judy said. “He didn’t like it, so he took off and backpacked around Europe for six months.”
After returning to the United States, Williams worked in construction. Judy said he realized he could make better design than whoever creates the projects he works on. He went to Arizona to study architecture and graduated top of his class. He came to Las Cruces in 1988.
“He said I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Judy said. “He loved it so much, but it was never a lifelong dream.”
Williams loved travel, adventure and the outdoors. He believed that architecture should emphasize the nature in which it was built, not replace it.
He looked up to Frank Lloyd Wright, himself known for his adaptable and sustainable work.
More:Could you trade a hairpin for a house? Meet the TikTok star who did it
With this in mind, Williams had a mission to incorporate sustainability into its projects. His design for New Mexico State University’s Alamogordo Health Services building was awarded LEED Gold status by the US Green Building Council, the second-highest designation for sustainable construction.
His son Ian Williams considered this one of his favorite projects.
“I know this project was very meaningful to him because of his strong interest in environmental sustainability,” said Ian. “I think he saw that as one of his most important professional achievements.
“He saw architecture as a way to seamlessly connect an environment and a functional use for people, so I think he really saw it as a link between caring for the earth and living responsibly on earth,” he said.
Gary Williams started his own company, Williams Design Group, in 2001.
His designs for Doña Ana County’s East Mesa campus have also earned LEED Silver and Gold certifications.
Williams’ planning and design for Organ Mountain High School, built as Oñate High in 1995, was recognized as a finalist for the prestigious MacConnell Award.
building a family
Aside from being a great architect, Williams was also a dedicated father and husband. He has two children, Ian, 39, and Jessica, 38, whom he raised primarily as a single father.
He met Judy on September 25, 2002 and they hit it off immediately on a blind date. They married on the second anniversary of their first date.
Judy had three children from her previous marriage, and she says that although most of her children were young adults when they brought their families together, they were all close.
“Almost immediately we had a big Christmas the first year and the kids got to know each other,” Judy said.
Four of their five children – who live across the country – came to Las Cruces to heal after William’s sudden death. Judy’s daughter was the only one who couldn’t come as she is currently living in Vietnam.
“It sounds crazy, but I said, ‘I feel so lucky to have been married for the last (18) years that we’ve been together,'” Judy said. “I couldn’t ask for more. It was beautiful. The whole time was just beautiful. To see our careers grow and his business grow. And to walk into the buildings that he would build. It was just beautiful.”
The couple have two grandchildren, one of Judy’s children and then there’s Jessica’s 2-year-old son Jackson.
Ian and Jessica say they always felt their father was a strict but fair leader, and Jessica said she hopes to incorporate her father’s lessons into her upbringing from Jackson, who just turned two .
Read others:The Healing Wings project helps residents process grief through art
“I want my son to know that no matter what he chooses to do or who he becomes, he will be loved and valued that way,” Jessica said. “I want him to feel like he can talk to me about things he’s struggling with along the way, like I did with my dad. I hope he can challenge me like I did my father. I want to give him that stability, a sense of security that my father always gave me. And of course I want him to love nature.”
While in town, surviving family members took a hike through the Dripping Springs Trail, where Jessica said they were able to restore some childhood memories.
Legacy Building
Williams was known for being close to his employees. Craig Remmington, 74, remembers him as someone to get to know.
Remmington first met Williams in 2003 as a contractor on one of his projects. He joined Williams Design Group as an employee and oversaw the field service. He worked for Williams for seven years.
“He’s always been fair to me when I was on the contract side and always fair to me when I was working for him,” Remmington said. “He was a mover in this town, to say the least.”
Williams retired from designing in 2017.
“Gary was widely respected by professional clients, the community, colleagues and classmates,” said Williams’ lifelong friend Michael Rennard in a letter. “That stoic behavior belied a great sense of humor and wit. He’s been a constant supporter and devoted friend to me, generous to a fault and most I know…all, I suppose.”
Williams’ other works include Mustang Village in Silver City, a local soup kitchen on Amador, and various chain stores, including several Circle K convenience stores that were formerly Pik Quiks. One of his most recent projects was the East Mesa Public Safety Complex, which was completed in 2017.
Miranda Cyr, a Report for America Corps member, can be reached at [email protected] or @mirandabcyr on Twitter. Show your support for the Report for America program at https://bit.ly/LCSNRFA.
Comments are closed.