Robert Edward Williams Jr.

On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, Robert Edward Williams Jr. passed away at the age of 81. It is impossible to reflect on his wonderful life in only a few sentences. Robert/Sonny/Dad/Papa- however you addressed him- had undoubted love for his family. He loved his wife of 54 years, Mary Williams, and as well as his children- Robby, Pam, Paula, Michael, Jamie (who he is now reunited with in heaven), and Debbie. He leaves behind his sister Carol, brother Freddy, as well as 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Robert went home to be with his Lord and Savior, his family who passed before him, and his very beloved canine and feline companions at the “Rainbow Bridge.”

Born in Greeneville, Texas, the child of Daisy and Robert Williams Sr., Robert attended Castleberry High School. He met his wife, Mary Williams, in October of 1966 at Rockwood Park. The night he met her he told a friend he was going to marry her, and the rest is history. Robert started working at Bell Helicopter in 1965 and retired after 35 years.

If you had the pleasure of meeting Robert, you know he was a man full of knowledge and wit. If you were lucky enough to have a conversation with him, you were sure to leave more intelligent than you were before. (You also never left without a good laugh!) We were immensely blessed to learn lessons from him over his 81 years of life. From how to fish and take care of maintenance on our cars to the best Western movies and shows to watch- Robert knew it all. The most important lesson he taught was the importance of family- although he might argue that the most important lesson of all is that anything other than Budweiser is just “training beer.” Robert enjoyed spending time at his lake house fishing and gardening, watching NASCAR races and Western movies, and spending quality time with his family. He loved telling stories and jokes that would have the entire room laughing until their eyes filled up with tears. Before his passing, he got to take a final trip to his favorite place- his lake house- where he got to drive his boat one last time. He went to be with the Lord surrounded by his loved ones, and there are no words to express just how much he will be missed- from his belly laugh before he could even get to the punchline of a joke or story to his perpetual phone calls checking up on you.