William Maurice Havens

william havens

December 7, 1948 ~ November 28, 2016

Born in: Glens Falls, NY
Resided in: Lilburn, GA

William Maurice Havens passed away peacefully in the morning hours of Monday, November 28, 2016. Surrounded by his loving family, he passed on following a bout with cancer that he battled for some time. A native New Yorker, William was born on December 7, 1948 to Marshall and Erma Havens. He graduated from Fort Edward High School in 1966, soon after which he took to the bright lights of New York City as he embarked on his music career. It was during this time that he met Carolyn Freese, whom he married on November 3rd, 1973. Several years and two sons later, living on Long Island, opportunity knocked once again and the family moved down to Atlanta in 1986. With family to help show him the ropes, he eventually started his own business in Convention Services, a business that has grown and thrived until this day. William was forever devoted to his family, and friends and strangers alike undoubtedly felt that same joyful and inviting presence that came from his endearing kindness and selflessness. If you didn't feel like the most important person in the room, William Havens was not in that room. He enjoyed golf, scuba diving, life at the lake, football tailgates, My Cousin Vinny, and all things Georgia Tech. William is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Carolyn Bernadette Havens; son Jason Havens and wife Heather Havens; son Chad Havens and wife Marissa Havens and their son Ethan Havens; stepmother Connie Havens; brother Keith Havens; sister Michele Havens; sister Kim Havens; brother Tim Havens and wife Jane Havens and their children Tim Havens Jr. and David Havens. Special thanks to the Nurses and Doctors at Eastside Medical Center who cared for William as one of their own during difficult times. Memorial service will be held Saturday, December 3, 2:00 pm, Wages & Sons, 1040 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA. No visitation or interment is planned. A social gathering will follow at the Havens' home located at 847 Castle Walk Cove, Lilburn, GA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following charities: Atlanta Hope Lodge (Cancer Society) - https://donate.cancer.org/index?campaign=hl08atlwdga Monterey Bay Aquarium & Ocean Conservancy- https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/support-us/ways-to-give/options/make-a-general-donation

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Guestbook

  1. We will miss Bill the rest of our lives. We shared the good times and tough times – the memories are endless. Carolyn, consider yourself always loved & constantly hugged by us. We mourn with you, the boys & their families. You will always be in our prayers.

  2. Bill will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Will and I send our Deepest sympathy to Carolyn, Jason , Chad and their families. Sending our Prayers for All!

  3. Carolyn-just letting you know how special bill’s friendship was to me over the years- I will miss him dearly. Prayers for you and the family.

  4. Our deepest condolences to the entire Havens family. Mr. Bill was a wonderful man and I treasure all the times we had together. I will miss him dearly.

  5. Bill is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, wonderful people I will ever know. Heaven will be brighter, but we will sure miss him here. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and everyone who’s life was touched by Bill.

  6. My deepest sympathy to the Havens Family. Bill was a gentle and kind person. I enjoyed working with him over the years, and will miss seeing on show site.

  7. I will remember Bill as I saw him last at the Home Depot show . On that day after all those working the show left a tornado hit. There was extreme damage to the hall that we had not long before left. We had been spared, and today I believe that Bill has been spared continued suffering. My prayers go out to Carolyn and their children. I pray that God will comfort your hearts and give all of you the strength to handle your grief and whatever may come your way. I can say that it was good to know Bill Havens.

  8. Dear Carolyn, Jason, Chad and Families:

    Please know that you all are in my thoughts and prayers. Bill was a very dear friend for over 20 years and I will miss him greatly. He was without a doubt one of the kindest individuals that I have ever had the pleasure to meet and was proud to call him my friend. And, he was so proud of his boys. May God bless and comfort you all. Sending hugs.

  9. Our NBM family was blessed to know and work with Bill for many years. He will be missed greatly. Heaven has gained another angel. Our deepest condolences to all of Bill’s family and friends.

  10. Carolyn, Jason, Chad, and family,
    You all are in our thoughts everyday and our hearts go out to you. We are so sorry to hear of your loss. Bill always made us smile and we loved every great, memorable minute with him. He will never be forgotten, and you have all our love.

  11. Carolyn, Jason & Heather, Chad & Marissa:

    There are no words to express our sorrow of Bill passing. Our hearts are hurting for all of you and we are grieving with you. Bill was one of the kindest, and most hospitable people we have ever known and he will never be forgotten. We are praying that God will give you the strength and comfort to get through the difficult road ahead and that He will also give you peace, and that God will wrap His loving arms around all of you. We love you and we loved Bill and will miss him so much.

  12. All of us at Hartmann Studios will miss Bill Havens. Every year since 2005 Bill has partnered with us for a major client event. We could always count on Bill, not only for his professional management of the services provided, but also for his positive, cheerful, friendly attitude. We will find it difficult to find a replacement for Bill – our partner and our friend.

  13. I know our group remembers the great times we had at the lake with the Haven’s family…your father will be missed. I always had respect for Bill for when I flooded a jet ski and he didn’t kill me although I think he thought about it…HA Thoughts and prayers are with you all and we love you guys!

  14. Seems like yesterday Jeff, Bill, and I came up with Showready, for the business that Bill ran flawlessly for all those years. We had some road adventures Bill and I and his voice is in my ear and his smile in my minds eye forever. A wonderful man.

  15. Our thoughts and prayers are with you; Carolyn, Jason, Chad and families, at this loss. It was always an enjoyable time to be surrounded by him and enjoying his company.

  16. On behalf of the staff at AGS expo, we want you to know we will miss Bill more than words can say. Take comfort in knowing he was a fine gentleman that we appreciated and we think of often.

  17. Our deep and heartfelt sympathies to Carolyn, Jason, Chad and all of Bill’s family. Bill was a wonderful man and he truly did make you feel like you were the only person in the room. Johnny Mac and I always enjoyed his company and the smiles and laughter he brought us. We are so fortunate to have known him and to have some very special memories of him, which we will never forget. We will miss him. We will never forget him. But his light, his love, his friendship will live on in all the hearts who knew him.

  18. Carolyn, Jason, Chad and families,
    From the time you moved to Atlanta our families bonded over our love for the Weiland’s and the trade show business. Our hearts are full with the memories of Christmas Eve parties, birthday parties and boat rides on the lake.
    We will always remember Billy for his kindness and generosity, his unfailing love for his family and the sunset boat rides he took with Domino on Lake Oconee. Somewhere in heaven the are sailing into the sunset together. We love you all.

  19. Carolyn and Family,

    We are constantly praying for you all in this hard time and our hearts are breaking for your loss. We will miss Billy so much! We are so thankful for the great memories we have with him! Love you all so much!

  20. Carolyn and Family,
    Our hearts and prayers go out to you all. We enjoyed the many moments we were able to share with Bill and he will be greatly missed. May God’s comfort surround you all and I’m certain he’s already on Heaven’s #1 rated golf course playing his best round ever! We love you and are so grateful to have had Bill as a friend.

  21. Carolyn

    No words can express our sorrow for the loss of your loving husband Bill and my Best friend

    Sincerely Phil, Susan and Samantha Spitale

  22. Carolyn, Jason, Heather, Chad, Marissa and Ethan,

    Our heartfelt sympathy to you. Take comfort in the many good memories you have of Bill. He will be missed.
    Love to all.

  23. Bill, you will be truly missed in our industry. Missed you at Myrtle Beach this past November. As Bob Joyce stated, find that course in the sky for us. Thank you for the long time friendship we had.

  24. My deepest sympathy to Bill’s family he was a joy to be around always enjoyed life and made the time you spent with him a time to remember and cherish.

  25. We are so sorry for your loss. May the God of all comfort continue to be with you and your family during this difficult time. We all look forward to a time when death will be no more-Rev 21:4. Our prayers are with you.

  26. Bill was a good guy, I saw him not long ago riding around on that scooter on the show floor; making sure that everything was going as it should. Bill took the time to stop and talk with me. Bill didn’t turn out his light and lie down, no he kept striving until his battery ran down. I will miss seeing him. God bless his family and friends.

  27. Carolyn,
    Our prayers for comfort are being offered up for you and your family. We are so sorry for your loss.

  28. Wow Carolyn, just reading all these kind remarks suggest Bill left quite a legacy. The common thread seems to be kindness, and gentleness, the two qualities I remember most from back in our boys soccer days. Our prayers for peace and comfort are with you, Chad, and Jason during this difficult, yet celebratory time. May God bless each of you.


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