Dai Williams

26th June 1955 – 21st November 2021

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the passing away of Dai Williams. He started the 4-year Physics degree course in 1973 and graduated in 1977.

He was the live wire of our year and was probably the most energetic and irrepressible of us all.

Dai was most unfortunately diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2001.

His humour shines through in the words he chose to let us know:

I started to notice that something wasn’t quite right… I started to slip down the squash leagues, and could not hold a glass of wine without spilling it!! The dilemma I faced was to drink it very quickly or find out why! After exhausting the first option I started looking for other solutions / causes.”

That was really drawing the short straw to be afflicted with Parkinson's so early in life. The medical profession experimented with different medicines initially but without the success he craved for. A few years later, brain surgery for an implant that he could operate remotely improved the quality of his life no end. However, his health eventually deteriorated and he struggled again in recent years.

Dai had a heart attack on Tuesday 16th November, suffered severe brain damage and did not recover. He died on Sunday 21st surrounded by his three children and his live-in carer.
His infectious, Welsh laugh is already missed by his fellow students.

We celebrate his heroics in living with Parkinson’s along with all of his many great attributes and professional achievements, not to mention his huge sense of fun.