Obituaries

Mr. Turner's son later received a law degree from Georgetown, making the Turners the first African American father-son law graduates at the school. His wife is also a lawyer.

Mr. Turner was past president of the Washington Bar Association, a board member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia and an official in the National Bar Association. He also was an executive board member of the Greater Washington Urban League, a board member of the National Housing Conference and a member of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

He was editor of the National Bar Association's Lawfax bulletin for several years, and he wrote articles published in many trade magazines. He received the National Bar Association's Presidential Award four times and the Washington Bar Association's Award for Distinguished Service in the 1980s.

Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Cecelia E. Wirtz of Silver Spring; a son, John Alfred Turner III of Silver Spring; and a sister, Lois Turner Hopson Reeder of Washington.

-- Patricia Sullivan

David Byron WilliamsContractor, Church Volunteer

David Byron Williams, 81, a contractor who built homes and businesses in Northern Virginia, died of complications of diabetes May 29 at Reston Hospital Center. He lived in Reston.

Mr. Williams built the Circle Woods townhouse development in Fairfax County, among other residences.

For the past 21 years, he volunteered at his church, Shepherd Gate Church of Chantilly, as a deacon and surrogate father to many in the congregation. He also did accounting for the African Assistance Plan, a ministry serving Ghana.

He was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, and served in the Navy during World War II in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

He was aboard the destroyer USS Pope in 1944, which was among the group of vessels that searched for a German U-boat that had been operating off the coast of Africa. The submarine, U-505, was captured by the destroyer USS Chatelain, the first capture of an enemy naval vessel since 1815. Mr. Williams received a Purple Heart and shared in a Presidential Unit Citation for the capture. He also fought at Normandy.

After World War II, Mr. Williams married and attended Spring Hill College. He later reenlisted and served in the Navy during the Korean War. He worked as accountant until he moved to Vienna in 1973 when he entered the construction business. He retired about 10 years ago.

His marriage to Mary Leatrice Roy ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara Anne Herget of Reston; three children from his first marriage, Mary Davette Schurr, Leatrice Davida Weindel and David Stephen Williams, all of Mobile, Ala.; two children from his second marriage, Trevor Owen Williams and Pamela Dee Williams, both Herndon; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

-- Patricia Sullivan