While Memorial Day weekend typically leads friends and family to visit the resting places of loved ones, Williams and his son, John Henry -- also brought here upon his death in March 2004 -- weren't included in that enduring American ritual.
"I visit my brother and father every day in my mind," Claudia Williams, the slugger's daughter and John Henry's sister, wrote in an e-mail. "I wish, hope and believe and have faith in our decisions. I do not question my/our decision. It is timeless, because it was made out of love, and at a point in our lives where the three of us could not have been closer.
"And though I have great respect for the fans of Ted Williams, a fan can not claim him as their father. I know Theodore Samuel Williams only as my dad. I never saw him play baseball. I saw him fish. I saw him as a completely different man than the one who played baseball.
"John Henry and I had a relationship with our dad, like no other person, family member or fan could. We stood by each other, defended each other, believed in each other, and fought the adversities of life together -- all for one -- one for all."
According to one expert, the day when the Williamses might be reunited could come later this century. For now, Ted and John Henry are among only 161 people worldwide -- all but four of them stored in three US cryonic facilities -- who await their rebirth in the deep-chilled state of cryostasis.
Former Alcor employee Ben Best, now president of the Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Mich., emphasized in a recent phone interview that little has changed in the science the last five years. Nonetheless, experts and devotees believe technological advances will have people such as Williams and his son back walking among us in the next 50-100 years.
"I'd say 100 years, maximum, but a lot of people believe it will never happen," said Best. "Of course, if I believed that, I wouldn't be doing this."
