Daniel Harrison Williams

Daniel Harrison Williams, 92, of the Fountain City Community in Knox County passed away peacefully on the morning of Sunday, July 20, 2025. Dan was born in Hancock County, TN on May 10, 1933, and raised in the Vardy Community. Dan received a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Chemistry and Biology from Lincoln Memorial University. He then moved to Toledo, OH and became a chemist for Pure Oil Company. Later, he moved to Knoxville to pursue a Master of Mathematics from the University of Tennessee while teaching at Powell High School and later at Fulton High School. Following graduation from UT, he became a Supervisor of Mathematics for Knox County Schools. Dan then received a sabbatical from Knox County Schools to teach and pursue a Doctorate of Mathematics at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Afterwards, he returned to Knoxville and to his career as the Supervisor of

Mathematics for Knox County Schools until he retired at the age of 76. Dan was a life-long Presbyterian and had previously been an active Sunday School teacher while he lived in Powell at the Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Dan was a brilliant, strong-minded individual driven by integrity and love. He had a witty sense of humor and never met a stranger. In Knox County Schools, Dan had a strong and impactful influence on the lives of many students, educators, and co-workers. He had a passion for gardening, cultivating African violets and orchids, collecting Native American artifacts and relics, and the University of Tennessee Volunteers athletics programs. Dan is survived by his children, Mitchell Keith Williams (Jane Clear Williams), Danielle Williams Sykes, and Meghan Michelle Williams (Shane Little); his grandchildren, Charles Douglas Sykes, Rachael Sykes Hinkle (Donte Hinkle), and Oliver Daniel Lee Conner; his sisters, Margaret Williams Nevels and DruAnna Williams Overbay (Fred Overbay); Jennifer Dodge Williams (sister-in-law) and Mark Capper (brother-in-law); and several beloved nephews, nieces, and cousins. Dan was preceded in death by his former wife, Lucy Nelle Cridlin; his wife of 41 years, Christine Capper Williams; his parents, Drew and Alyce Williams; his sister, Charlotte Leota Williams; his

brother, Steven Lee Williams; and his granddaughter, Carly Elizabeth Williams.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Berry

Lynnhurst Funeral Home with funeral services to follow at 7:00 p.m. The family welcomes friends to join them on Friday, August 1, 2025, at 11 a.m., at Lynnhurst Cemetery for graveside services and interment. Berry Lynnhurst Funeral Home, 2300 Adair Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918. To honor Dan’s memory, donations may be made to the Vardy Community Historical Society (https://www.vardymuseum.org) or to the Knox County Retired Teachers Association Scholarship Foundation (https://knoxretiredteachers.com/how-to-give).