James Arnold Williams, "Apple Willy", 88, of Alamogordo, passed into eternal rest on Sunday January 24th, 2010.

He was born on January 4, 1922 in Oil City, PA and spent most of his life in Alamogordo and Bent, NM. James graduated from Inglewood High School in Inglewood, CA in 1939. He joined the 246th Army Air Force Base Unit in February, 1940. He was part of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during the Air Offensive Japan Campaign in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. He met Mickey Hodgett on a bus in Pyote, TX. He fell in love and married her on July 29th, 1945. They lived in Pratt, KS, before relocating to Inglewood, CA in 1947. James then became an Electrical Journeyman and worked for an electrical contractor. While in California, they had two children, Patricia and James.

On a vacation trip in 1954, James and Mickey visited New Mexico and discovered a nice apple farm for sale in Bent, NM. They purchased the farm, moved their family from California, and had two additional children, Linda and Danny. James was an Aircraft Electrician with the 6580th Field Maintenance Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base until he retired in 1978. He and Mickey were also accomplished apple farmers until they retired in 1996.

James was a long-time member of the Masonic Lodge No. 421 in Inglewood, CA and later Masonic Lodge No. 73 in Ruidoso, NM. He was also a member of the Rocket Shrine Club of Alamogordo.

James, as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, is survived by his wife Mickey Williams and four children: Patricia Pendergraft (Carl) of Las Cruces, NM; James Williams (Lori) of Amarillo, TX; Linda Hardisty (Don) of Albuquerque, NM; and Dan Williams (Debbie) of Alamogordo, NM. He is also survived by seven grand children. "His Girls": Leah Carbajal (Gabriel), Elana Rambow (Dean), Megan Fokken (Micky), Gayle Williams (Ryan). "His Boys": Philip Scroggins, Michael Hardisty, and Robert Hardisty. There are four great-grandchildren: Reyes Carbajal, Maia Carbajal, Landon Williams, and Cormac Mitchell.

He was preceded in death by his parents Clyde and Irene Williams and a sister Jean Keefe.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Pediatric Specialty Care for Burns online at www.shrinershq.org , 1-800-241-GIFT (4438), or mail your donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607. Please designate either the Cincinnati Shriners Hospital or Northern California Shriners Hospital on your donation.

He will be cremated and the family will hold a private memorial at a later date.