Francis Phillips Williams, the retired Towson High School science department chairman, died of heart disease Feb. 5 at the Glen Meadows Retirement Community. He was 87 and had lived in Towson and Fallston.

Born in Delmar, he was a 1938 graduate of Delmar High School, where he played soccer. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at St. John's College in Annapolis and worked briefly at the Glenn L. Martin aircraft factory in Middle River before enlisting in the Army days after the attack at Pearl Harbor. He served in the Army Signal Corps and the old Army Security Agency during World War II and again during the Korean conflict, when he was assigned to Germany.

After the Second World War, he earned a master's degree from Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College, where met his future wife, Jean Shirley, while doing homework in the college library.

Mr. Williams worked for his entire education career as a science teacher - first biology and later physics - at Towson High School, at its old Central Avenue location and at the current site on Cedar Avenue. "At the end of his first year, he helped move the science department from the old school to its present location," said his wife.

He was the chairman of the science department from the early 1960s until he retired in 1979.

Family members said he was popular with students and colleagues, and earned their affection and respect through his interactions and conscientious approach to his work. They said he often met up unexpectedly with former students and caught up with their careers and families in their adult lives.

After retiring, he devoted several days a week to gardening at his Fallston home. He would spend long days on his 1-acre plot and compared his work to being a child in a sandbox.

"He was forever planting pachysandra," said his daughter-in-law, Patricia M. Williams of New Windsor. "He preferred the green - trees and shrubs over more showy flowers. When he was finished, it all looked very natural."

With his wife, Mr. Williams traveled to 49 of the 50 states, and many European countries. On one occasion, he had a surprise encounter with a former Towson High School student on a street in Berlin, Germany, his family said.

Until forced to step down because of poor health in 2004, he was a volunteer at Fallston Hospital, and later Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, working three days a week. He arrived at 6 a.m. and made coffee for hospital workers. He accumulated 16,100 hours of service.

Mr. Williams was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore and supported its choral and organ music program. He was a devotee of compositions by Bach, Telemann, Franck and others, and attended organ concerts.

A memorial service is being planned at Immanuel Lutheran.

In addition to his wife of nearly 61 years, survivors include a son, Stephen P. Williams of New Windsor; a daughter, Janet L. Williams of Lyme, N.H.; a brother, Melvin Williams of Walnut Creek, Calif.; and a granddaughter.

jacques.kelly@baltsun.com