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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 4, 2002
GULFPORT -- "I kept the town small," Bert Williams, the former mayor, once bragged.
"I go all the way back when (Gulfport) was a small village," the mayor said in 1990, the year before he stepped down after four years as mayor and a dozen years on the City Council.
"I like a town where anyone can walk in and get time with the city manager without owning a million dollars. I like Gulfport the way it is."
Mr. Williams, who died Sunday (Sept. 1, 2002) at 89, said controlling Gulfport's growth was his top priority during his time in office.
"Bert had a general passion for the city of Gulfport," Mayor Michael Yakes said Tuesday. "I had the pleasure to serve on the City Council and as vice mayor for Bert. He wanted (Gulfport) to remain a single-home, family community and wanted to see that that was carried through."
He added: "Bert seemed ageless to me. His energy was incredible. To keep up with Bert you'd better have roller skates on."
A native of St. Petersburg and graduate of St. Petersburg High School, Henry "Bert" Williams grew up to follow in the footsteps of his father, Capt. Walter Williams, who was mayor from 1946 to 1948.
Last year, the City Council named the pier on Shore Drive S in honor of the two former mayors.
"It seems fit that their memory should be carried on," Yakes said at the time.
"Gulfport has a place for everybody," Bert Williams once said.
"We're a little sleepy fishing village for the elderly, we have beautiful condos for people who want that kind of life and we have the Pasadena area for the rich. We're the best of two or three different worlds."
When he first ran for mayor, Mr. Williams told a reporter:
"I'm not going to turn the world around overnight. I'm just going to be honest. I'm definitely not an expert on a lot of things, but I'm definitely an expert on what's right and wrong."
He also offered his views on the qualifications for mayor: "To be honest and love your town is all it takes to be mayor," he said. "You don't have to be a college graduate."
Mr. Williams, a retired service manager for Johnstone Bros. Fuel Co., was a member of the Gulfport Historical Society. He was a member and former usher of Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. He was president of the Gulfport Lions Club in 1967-68.
He had worked on the library board, planning and zoning board and the boards of Little League and Gulfport Elementary School.
Survivors include his wife, Josephine; two daughters, Peggy Binkley, Atlanta, and Debbie Pobzeznik, St. Petersburg; and three grandsons, John, Bryan and Daniel.
Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Gulfport Memorial Funeral Home, 5601 Gulfport Blvd. S. A funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Holy Name Catholic Church, 5800 15th Ave. S.
-- Information from Times files was used in this obituary.