Air Force Staff Sgt. Leslie D. Williams

Died January 25, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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36, of Juneau, Alaska,; assigned to the 4th Maintenance Group, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.; died Jan. 25, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, due to a non-combat-related incident.

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Was more than a baseball coach; also a mentor

The Associated Press

Leslie Williams could teach the youth on the baseball and football teams he coached how to throw a ball, but he was more than an authority figure to his players in the North Carolina town near the Air Force base where he was assigned.

Parents and others who knew him say the young players on his teams, which included the Rosewood Little Eagles football team, also found in him a dedicated mentor and friend.

“Those boys, they loved him,” Angie Lancaster, the mother of one of Williams’ players, told the Goldsboro News-Argus. “They respected him. He was so special to them.”

The 36-year-old from Juneau, Alaska, died Jan. 25 at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. He was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

The military said his death was not combat related.

An obituary published in the Juneau Empire said he had served 14 years in the Air Force.

“Les will be remembered as a man of character, the kind of role model who set an example for everyone he touched,” his family said.

Williams’ survivors include his wife, Tonya DeMent Williams; and his children, Christian, Phoenix and Allyson.