F1: Virginia Williams Dead At 66

Formula 1

F1: Virginia Williams Dead At 66

Virginia Williams, the wife of Williams founder Sir Frank Williams, has passed away...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted March 08, 2013 Balen (BEL)

Sir Frank Williams is mourning the loss of his wife, Virginia. (Photo: Getty Images)

Virginia Williams, the wife of Williams founder Sir Frank Williams, has died at age 66 following complications from cancer.

The Williams team announced on Friday: “Lady Virginia, or ‘Ginny’ as she was better known, died peacefully at the family home last night surrounded by Frank and the rest of the Williams family. Ginny had been bravely battling cancer for the past two and a half years.

“Ginny will always be an integral part of Williams’ history and success, and today we pay tribute to a much loved member of the Williams family who will be sorely missed.”

It goes without saying that Virginia Williams played an enormous role in getting Sir Frank through the aftermath of his road car accident – which occurred 27 years ago Friday – and she had been a rock in his life ever since.
In 1991, she wrote an extraordinary book, ‘A Different Kind of Life,’ about her relationship with Frank and the impact the accident had on their lives together.

In it she revealed that they first met in 1967, when she was engaged to an aspiring F3 driver and working as a receptionist. After her marriage hit trouble, she began a relationship with Frank, and following her divorce, they married in August 1974 in a ceremony hurriedly squeezed in between races.

She played a largely uncredited role in helping Frank through his difficult early years in F1, giving up her job and even loaning him money after selling her London apartment before their marriage. The book also recounts the huge sacrifices she made as Frank used every spare penny to keep the team going.

The couple had three children: Claire, Jonathan and Jaime. SPEED.com sends its condolences to them, Sir Frank and the rest of her family.

Adam Cooper notched up his 28th season as a racing journalist in 2012. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.