James Edwin Williams, born Oct. 24, 1946, in Canon City, Colorado, passed Jan. 31, 2019, in Pueblo, Colo. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, James V. and Hazel G. Williams; brother, Elton Sells; and sister, Geneva Sells Newell. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Christine Barela Williams; children, Matthew Williams (Mary Ann), Joetta Williams Bryant (Charles), Joseph and Jason Santistevan; brother, David Williams (Carolyn); and sister, Patricia “Susie” Williams Knox (Mark); granddaughters, Chloe Baur (Ben), Sydney Williams, Loryn Santistevan, Italia Santistevan and Andilee Gowin; and grandson, Jamison Santistevan; many godchildren, nieces, nephews, as well as great-nieces and nephews. Jim enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1966, and trained as a hospital corpsman. In April of 1968, he departed for Vietnam and was stationed there for 13 months at the Marble Mountain Station Hospital in Danang. He received numerous awards while serving in the military and was a great supporter of numerous veteran programs including Wounded Warrior Project. Jim was a longtime resident in Florence, Colo., where he started his career in the banking business. In 1989, he accepted a position as the Senior Vice President of the Bankers Bank of the West in Denver. He remained there until his retirement in 2009. Jim was a member of the Florence Volunteer Fire Department, the Jaycees and the Elks Club. In lieu of flowers, please make any contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project in Jim’s name. The funeral will be held on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Eulogy will begin at 9:45 a.m., followed by the Mass at 10 a.m. at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pueblo, Colo. His ashes will be interred at Imperial Memorial Gardens, 5450 Highway 78 West, immediately after the service.
