Ian Mitchell Williams

Ian Mitchell Williams, 49, of San Diego, California, passed away at his home in Coolville, Ohio, on May 23, 2025.

Ian was born on October 21, 1976, in Fort Bragg, California, to loving parents Trent and Karen Williams. Prior to his arrival in Fort Bragg, Ian always claimed to have been conceived in a tent, somewhere in the beautiful Spanish countryside.

Ian’s earliest years in Fort Bragg were spent in a picturesque, small coastal town setting, surrounded by the serenity of wood burning stoves, coastal redwoods and chickens wandering carefree through the yard. Though it was 170 miles away from the big city, Ian’s parents prioritized an appreciation for art and music – the latter of which would play a starring role in Ian’s adult life.

While still in his formative years, Ian and family moved south to San Diego County, which would become home for the majority of his life.

Ian was an uncommonly bright child who excelled in school and had an early affinity for the personal computer. Among the first of his friends to have a computer, much less know how to use one – while most of his peers were playing with their Atari and Nintendo consoles, Ian was exploring the complex storylines of Sierra PC games and making BBS friends with like-minded kids via the chirps, whistles and screeching of his state of the art, 1200 baud, dial-up modem.

While Ian was well-liked by his classmates, he preferred fewer, deeper friendships rather than competing in the popularity contests. In fact, the only popular kids that he paid any attention to, were the girls – of whom he paid a lot of attention to.

An eternal optimist, Ian rightly felt that he had a more than fair chance of dating the most popular girls in school and as an uncommonly bright child, he always had a plan of attack: If she complained about being tired, Ian showed up the next day with the gift of a brand new pillow, if she was sad – flowers, if he found out she liked music – mix tape. These were but symptoms of an immense generosity and a love for gift-giving that would be a hallmark throughout Ian’s entire life.

Around the start of high school, in the fall of 1991, Ian and one of his classmates decided to start a band together. As the story goes, his friend called up and simply asked, “Do you want to be a millionaire?” Well, there’s only one possible response to that question, and while it’s true that Ian and his bandmates did not in fact become millionaires, for the next 25 years or so, Ian would be writing and performing music all across southern California. Side note: if you’ve known Ian long enough to receive an email from his first AOL address MRSGsoon2B and wondered why it seemed to suggest a bombshell engagement announcement, it was actually his response to his friend’s question: Millionaire Rock Stud God soon to be – and a good example of his sense of humor.

Contrary to the one-week stint as a trombone player in middle school band, Ian took to the electric bass like a duck to water. While he was self-taught, it’s fair to assume that he received a few pointers from his father, Trent, an accomplished Flamenco guitarist, who studied under various masters of the craft while traveling in Spain. Ian greatly admired his father – his humor, intelligence, patience. So, having the musical connection to him and an excuse to spend time together was something he treasured his entire life.

Ian’s band was named after a Beatles song, No Reply – which is a frustratingly ironic name when trying to get venues to call you back about a gig. Even so, a lot of them did call back and through the years No Reply played just about every venue that would have them in the greater San Diego area. Ian had truly found his passion. He wrote hundreds of songs, professionally recorded several and simply loved to perform them in front of an audience, any chance he could get. He once wrote a song titled Blackbelt of Mediocrity – which was a self-effacing reflection of how he saw himself and his talents, but the reality was that he had a much more than mediocre gift for writing and performing music – music that continues to connect and resonate with anyone within earshot of his recordings.

Ian’s young adult life was rich with meaningful friendships and constant entertainment. He was well-known as the life of the party who always showed up with his humor, quick wit and unpredictable, but good-natured, antics. However, he never overstayed his welcome, and even had a signature exit at the end of every gathering – he would breathe in with a long, drawn-out exaggerated inhale that made everyone stop what they were doing and stare at him with rapt attention for whatever important thing he was about to say, which was always, “Whelp! I’m outta here!” Though you didn’t want him to leave, it was impossible to be upset with him when he made you laugh as he walked out. Pure genius.

He was a huge fan of baseball and could always tell you what the Padres were doing wrong. One of his deepest disappointments came in 1998 when the Padres couldn’t manage a single win against the Yankees, getting swept and losing the World Series in 4 games…Ian had tickets for Game 5. But Ian was an eternal optimist, and he was ready to cheer them all the way to the World Series when the next season came around.

Ian also loved seeing live music and was more than likely the most dedicated Paul McCartney fan alive, as he didn’t miss a McCartney concert that was performed within miles of his location from the year 1993 until the day he died.

Other loves that enriched Ian’s life were traveling and going out to dinner, both of which he enjoyed many times with his mother, whom he also loved very much. While Ian and his mother traveled all across both the country and a good portion of the world together, they both loved eating out and catching up with each other – a pattern that would hold throughout his life. Once while traveling through the beautiful Spanish countryside, Karen pointed out an unassuming campsite in Malaga and confirmed the long-held rumor of where he got his start in life.

While music and other entertainment were a constant in his adult life, he diligently worked at creating a professional life as well. He worked two jobs while pursuing a bachelor’s degree at San Diego State University. And though he always maintained his reputation for immense generosity and gift-giving, he also managed to be wise with his money, investing and growing a nest egg through the years. At the zenith of his career path, Ian was a well-respected Director of two departments simultaneously at one of the largest casinos in San Diego County.

Because he was busy with working two jobs and performing music, Ian was on the so-called long-term college plan. So, when he finally graduated from San Diego State with a degree in Public Relations/Journalism, he was extremely proud of his accomplishment. But as proud as he was, the very best thing that came from his time at San Diego State was meeting the love of his life, and the future Mrs. Ian Williams – Tessa St. Marie.

Ian and Tessa were an instant and effortless match with one another. Humor, temperament, intelligence, proclivities and an unapologetic love for cats – especially Luna, whom they adopted and loved dearly. They were star-crossed and no one was surprised when they married on March 18, 2015. What followed were the happiest days of Ian’s life. Traveling, eating out, seeing live music – doing the things they loved while loving each other.

When Tessa passed unexpectedly and tragically on June 6, 2020, Ian had the unenviable, unthinkable task of putting the pieces of his life back together, in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. Sheltering in place at home, which had suddenly become the loneliest place on Earth. But Ian was an eternal optimist, and he worked hard to fill his life with things that made him happy. He loved live music, so he got a part-time job at a performance theater. He loved baseball, so he got a part-time job with the Padres. He even did some road trips to scratch the travel itch. While the last few years of his life were rife with challenges, all the hearts he touched through the years went on loving and rooting for him right up until the end. And if we could’ve been in the room with him when he passed, I’m fairly certain we would’ve heard a long, drawn-out exaggerated inhale, followed by, “Whelp! I’m outta here!”

Ian was preceded in death by his father, Trent Williams; a brother, David Williams; and his wife, Tessa Williams.

He is survived by his mother, Karen Williams; his brother, Mike Foerder and family; and his cat, Luna.

He will be remembered fondly and missed desperately by all of his devoted family and many friends.

A memorial service will be held for Ian on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 1PM, at the White Funeral Home in Coolville, OH.

Friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at ehwfh.com