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Jon Williams

Jonathan Andrew “Jon” Williams was a white American autistic computer engineer born on February 3, 1971. He attended the California Institute of Technology and was a doctoral student there when he met Chrissie Williams in 1994. Jon began working for Intel in 1996, married Chrissie, and raised their daughter, Rachel, with her.

Education and Career

Main article: Jon Williams (Career and Legacy)

Jon entered the California Institute of Technology early after finishing high school at sixteen or seventeen. He completed a B.S. in Computer Science in 1991 with a 4.0 academic record, graduation with honor, and departmental recognition. He then entered Caltech’s doctoral program, where he worked with Dr. Patterson, received fellowship and research-assistantship support, and published multiple peer-reviewed papers. By 1994, when he was twenty-three, he was completing a doctorate in computer engineering; he finished the degree in 1996.

Jon began working at Intel in 1996 and built a long career there as a computer engineer. His work centered on computer architecture, systems design, and technical documentation. In winter 2013, he transferred from Intel’s California operations to its Oregon organization when the family moved to the Portland area.

Health, Disability, and Access

Jon was autistic and communicated in a formal, direct, and literal manner. In the mid-1990s, after the diagnosis entered the DSM in 1994, he received an Asperger’s disorder diagnosis. That diagnosis later fell under the broader autism-spectrum framework. He preferred predictable routines and approached complex problems systematically.

Jon also lived with fibromyalgia and migraines. Chronic pain and fatigue affected his daily capacity, and the colder, wetter climate in Portland worsened his symptoms after the family’s move. At home, Jon and Chrissie learned each other’s pain, fatigue, and distress cues and supported one another during difficult periods.

In 1994, after witnessing Sharon Mitchell berate Chrissie, Jon held himself together until he was alone and then punched an object during a meltdown, splitting the knuckles of his right hand. He did not adequately treat the injury while continuing to research legal aid for Chrissie; Chrissie had a seizure later that night. The infection progressed through cellulitis to life-threatening sepsis. Jon collapsed at urgent care on Monday and was transferred to County General. He began waking on Friday, was extubated on Saturday, saw Chrissie on Sunday, and was discharged later that same week. His right hand retained mild occasional weakness, pain, cramping, and reduced grip without major functional loss.

Family and Core Relationships

Chrissie Williams

Main article: Jon and Chrissie Williams

Jon met Chrissie at the Pasadena Public Library in 1994 while she lived at Harmony House and he attended Caltech. Their friendship developed through repeated library meetings and visits. Chrissie’s case was approved in late 1995, and she moved in with Jon immediately. They later married.

Jon and Chrissie used direct communication, established routines, and household access systems to support one another. Jon’s repeated phrase “No exceptions” marked safety procedures that they treated as nonnegotiable. Chrissie, in turn, recognized Jon’s migraines and fibromyalgia flares and helped reduce demands when he was in pain.

Rachel Williams

Rachel was born in 2001. Jon and Chrissie raised her together, and her middle name, Elizabeth, honored Lizzie Henderson. The family moved from California to Portland, Oregon, in winter 2013.

Michael Bell and Lizzie Henderson

Main article: Jon Williams and Michael Bell

Jon met Michael Bell through Harmony House and treated him as an intellectual equal. He supported Michael’s effort to leave institutional care during the 1990s. Around 1998, Michael and Lizzie moved together into a split house with Jon and Chrissie, forming the four-adult chosen-family household in which Rachel was born in 2001. Lizzie died from medical complications during Rachel’s childhood.

Personality and Communication

Jon was precise, systematic, and more comfortable with clear information than with social ambiguity. He expressed care through preparation, practical support, and reliable follow-through. His household used emergency buttons, medication routines, seizure-monitoring equipment, and rehearsed response steps to support Chrissie’s health while preserving her participation in family decisions.

Jon’s relationship with Michael reflected the same presumption of competence. Their shared formal communication and focused interests allowed them to relate as peers without either man having to translate his manner of speaking for the other.

Memorable Quotes

“No exceptions.”

Jon used the phrase when reinforcing established health and safety procedures within the household.

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