Treat Williams' Wife and Kids Remember the Actor 7 Months After His Death: 'He Was and Is Our Hero' (Exclusive)

Pam, Gill and Ellie Williams discuss "grappling" with the late actor's tragic death and learning to celebrate life again

When Treat Williams was preparing for a new role, he would sit behind the wheel of one of his tractors, driving around the backyard of his Manchester, Vermont homestead, belting show tunes like Man of La Mancha's "The Impossible Dream" with his warm baritone voice.

"You could hear that from across the farm over the [noise of the] tractor," recalls his son Gill.

But the impromptu musical performances stopped seven months ago, and Treat's tractors now sit still.

The actor, whose decades-long career included roles in Hair, Everwood and Chesapeake Shores, died on June 12 at age 71 following a motorcycle accident in Dorset, Vermont. (A trial date for the other driver in the accident, Ryan Koss, who pleaded not guilty, has not been set.)

If the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor's tragic death surprised fans and former costars, it certainly blindsided his wife Pam Williams and their two children, Gill and Ellie, who continue to process his loss and find new ways to honor his life, including watching his work and taking flying lessons in celebration of his love of taking to the sky.

Related: Treat Williams' Wife Pam and Children Remember His 'Beautiful Legacy' as He Would Have Turned 72 (Exclusive)

"I think because of the suddenness of it, there was absolutely no preparation, so I'm still grappling with the fact that it happened and that he's really gone," Pam, 68, says. "It just feels like such a hole in our family and the fabric of the world. The whole atmosphere feels different."

Treat and Pam, a dancer who performed in avant-garde theater productions, met while she was waitressing at New York City's now-closed Texarkana restaurant in 1987.

"He was completely smitten with me and asked me to marry him two weeks later," she recalls. "It was a magical meeting, meant to be."

The two tied the knot in 1988 and moved to Vermont once Treat purchased a home in Manchester. They welcomed their son Gill in 1992 and daughter Ellie in 1998.

Related: Blue Bloods' Tom Selleck and Bridget Moynahan Honor Costar Treat Williams After His Death: 'We Lost a Good One'

Both children credit their father for inspiring them to become artists: Ellie, 25, is pursuing acting in Los Angeles while Gill, 31, is working on his first album.

"He helped me become confident with my talents. I was kind of a shy singer for a long time, and he'd come over and be like, 'I can't hear you,'" Gill says.

For Ellie, the connection started even earlier.

"When I was four, I started going to set with my dad on Everwood, and I fell in love with the craft," she remembers. "You create a wonderful close-knit group of people, a family and wonderful friendships. It's a beautiful thing."

Off-camera, Treat was anything but serious. "He was such a goofball, and he was such a kid at heart," Gill says.

Related: A Look Back on Some of Treat Williams' Most Iconic Roles

"He's that guy, that dad that's with you in public or in a store or some-thing, who starts dancing, looks at you and stares into your soul," adds Ellie. "He's like, 'What? Am I embarrassing you? Will you not dance with me?'"

When he wasn't performing in film and television, Treat was a pilot, flying helicopters, single and twin-engine planes — sometimes with his family and friends in tow — for fun. He began taking lessons in high school.

"He felt like he didn't have a lot of control all the time in the rest of his life, but he felt like he was in total control up there," Ellie explains. "That was the one place where he could just feel free."

Doing favors for no particular reason was also the actor's trademark. He offered free flights for auctions, donated money to a local resident whose house burned down and regularly took a nearby motel owner struggling with cancer out for lunch.

Related: Treat Williams’ Family Shares Photo from Celebration of Life 7 Weeks After His Unexpected Loss: ‘Live Every Day'

"So many people have come up to me with things. 'Oh, he helped me with this,' or 'He took me flying," Pam adds.

As the months have passed, one of the easiest ways to remember Treat is by rewatching his work.

"He's left behind this beautiful legacy. That's something you're very lucky to have if your parent is an artist, especially when they're as prolific as him, because you get to, in many ways, still be with them through that," Gill explains. "Even if it's a character, his heart and his soul are actually present in all of his work."

Related: Marilu Henner Says She and Treat Williams 'Never Lost Touch' Up Until His Sudden Death at 71 (Exclusive)

Such comforts still don't diminish the truth that the actor is no longer around for family moments.

"Not having him there for major future events — him seeing me grow as a person, get a career, walking me down the aisle, having a husband and children — is really, really hard," Ellie admits. "But every day is a new day, and I'm trying to live as fully as possible for him."

For Pam, the challenge remains navigating her emotions every day and appreciating the present as she continues to pay tribute to that enamored young man who, years ago, swept her off her feet.

"You're carrying on with life and enjoying all the beauty," she adds. "I know he would want us to just really celebrate and enjoy everything, so we're doing the best we can with that."

For more on Treat Williams and his family, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here. 

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