TUFTONBORO, N.H. -- On Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, Fritz passed away in his home in Tuftonboro, surrounded by his wife and children.Fritz was born in Seymour, Ind., June 8, 1943, to parents Frank "Bud" Williams and Katherine Foote Williams, both deceased. His family lived in various places throughout his childhood, including Palos Verdes, Calif., and Pines Lake, N.J. It was while living in New Jersey that he developed his life long love of sailing. He was a graduate of Wayne Senior High School in Wayne, N.J., and attended the University of Michigan. Fritz served four years in the Navy starting in 1962 aboard the USS Lake Champlain. After his discharge from the Navy, he moved to New Hartford, Conn., where he worked for Locktite.Fritz's family summered for many years on the coast of Maine in the Boothbay area. It was here that he continued his love of sailing. He worked summers on the three-masted schooner the Victory Chimes, eventually becoming the first mate. He earned his sailing Coast Guard captain's license and then went on to captain the schooner Rachael and Ebenezer and several of the other coastal Maine schooners. While on the Rachael and Ebenezer he sailed in the Tall Ships gathering in New York to celebrate America's bicentennial in 1976. He also sailed her from the Virgin Islands to Bermuda and onto Maine along the eastern seaboard. After leaving the Rachael and Ebenezer, he worked as a mechanical engineer for BTU's in Rockland, Maine. In 1986, his engineering skills took him to a job with Oasis Alignment Services in Rochester. As part of that job, he helped Oasis expand by establishing a southern office in Pensacola, Fla., and a Canadian office in Montreal, Quebec. As a result of this, he and his family moved to Pensacola, Fla., in 1987; and then to Tuftonboro, in 1994. His latest project was expanding the business for Oasis by introducing the use of laser trackers into their company. His 24 years of working for Oasis took him to locations including Montreal; Mojokerto, Indonesia; the Phillipines; Puerto Rico; and all across the United States. He and his daughter were also able to travel to Australia, Bali, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. During this time, while living on a farm in Tuftonboro, he and his family operated the Hyde-Williams Petting Farm, from 1996 to 2003. He thoroughly enjoyed playing "Farmer Williams" during the weekends and showing kids and their families the various aspects of farm living. He would often hitch up his draft pony "Josie" and take kids for a buggy ride around the neighborhood. He and his wife have also been longtime golden retriever breeders.His son, Nathaniel "Nate" Williams, passed away in 2005. He; his wife, Dot; and their daughter, Morgan, co-founded the Nathaniel J. Williams Foundation in his memory. This is a nonprofit organization doing business under the name A.C.T.S.; its mission is to raise, train and place service dogs for people with mobility disabilities. Fritz was very passionate about this cause.Fritz is survived by his wife of 36 years, Dorothy "Dot" Hyde-Williams, and children Morgan and Kyle Williams, all of Tuftonboro; his brother, Sherman Todd Williams and his wife, Berry, of East Boothbay, Maine; sister Abigail Williams and her husband, Bob Mullins, of Nobleboro, Maine; sister-in-law Rosemary Hyde, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; sister-in-law Susan Hyde, of Rockland; sister-in-law Marguerite Truesdale and her husband, Paul, of Peabody, Mass.; and sister-in-law Phyllis Hyde, of Augusta, Maine. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and cousins.A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, at All Saint's Church in Wolfeboro. Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made to the Nathaniel J. Williams Foundation, P.O. Box 86, Center Tuftonboro, NH 03816; or visit www.assistancecanine.org for more information.