Smashing Estate

The dean of Raleigh’s real estate industry Peter Pescud Williams dies on Friday. He was 94. Peter Williams was a retired former partner of Williams & Haywood Real Estate Co. He spent his most of his life in the city and helped start the careers of many of the city’s real estate leaders, including John Morisey and Lanse Houston.

Joe Kalkhurst trained under Williams in the 1960’s and he is now a senior vice president at York Properties said “We all called him ‘Father,” and also added “He was a great leader.”

Williams was also answerable for the formation of Williams Memorial Park on Lynn and Lead Mine roads. He donated the land to the city for a park in memory of his son, Peter P. Williams Jr., a young real estate agent who was murdered in 1972 along with Raleigh Times woman’s editor Patricia Grimes.

Former Raleigh Mayor Smedes York and also one of Williams’ friends and chairman of the York family of real estate companies said “He was one of the leaders of the real estate industry,” and added “He was a well respected gentleman.”

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, where Williams had been a lifelong member.