Charles Weaver Williams

After years of struggling with Parkinson's Disease, Charles Weaver Williams, loving family man, faithful Christian, and a resident of Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary, passed away into everlasting life, as promised in The Scripture John 3:16 on November 14, 2011.

Charles was born December 20, 1924 in Cleveland NC to John and Addie Weaver Williams. He learned the value of hard work and developed his strong work ethic growing up on his family's dairy farm. Upon graduation from high school, he enrolled at Appalachian State Teacher's College, now ASU, and remained until he dropped out to join the Army Air Corp in 1943. He had his orders to report to the Pacific theater when Japan surrendered, and World War II ended. When he returned home, like so many others of his generation, he used his GI Bill benefits to return to college and enrolled at North Carolina State College, now NCSU, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in 1948 and continued on to earn his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics.

Charles' career began as a farm management specialist, then Assistant County Agent with the Agricultural Extension Service. He then was employed on staff at NC State as a business manager, a job that eventually took him and his family to Lima, Peru from 1967 – 1969. Shortly after returning to NC, he became Assistant Director of the State Department of Administration during Governor Bob Scott’s administration. In 1975 he became the Town Manager of Cary and remained there until he retired from public service in 1980. Charles then returned to his farming roots, and he operated Williams Strawberries in western Wake County throughout the 1980s while he also served as a part-time employee for the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru. He completely retired in 1993.

Charles was an avid reader and was also a consummate Bridge player, belonging to the same Bridge club for over 40 years. He was a member of the Cary Masonic Lodge. He was a life-long faithful Baptist and a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Cary. At his death, he was a member of Westwood Baptist Church in Cary.

Charles was predeceased by his parents, his beloved wife of 39 years Elizabeth Harper Williams, who died in 1995, his daughter Sara Williams Saunders, who died in 2007, as well as his brother Bruce. Left to cherish his memory, forever grateful for the blessing of loving parents, are his children Scott Williams and his wife Lori of West Helena, AR, Wesley Williams and his wife Jennifer of Cary, and Mary Williams-Kotnik and her husband Andrew of Cary, as well as his son-in-law Philip Saunders of Potomac, MD, and also his grandchildren Megan Williams of Shanghai, China, Morgan Williams and Steven Kotnik, both students at NCSU, Kenneth Saunders, a student at the University of Maryland, Hayden Saunders of Potomac, MD, and Joey Williams, along with his wife Nicole and their daughter Shiloh, all of Poplar Grove, AR. With Shiloh’s recent arrival into the family, Charles became a great-grandfather.

Also left to remember Charles are his brothers Justice Williams and his wife Frances of Cleveland NC, Robert Williams and his wife Vicki of Churchville, MD, and his sister Mary Kathryn Sloop of Mt Ulla, NC. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Nannie Tyndall and Dot Blizzard and her husband Ray all of Deep Run NC, and also by many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service to celebrate Charles' life and resurrection will be held at First Baptist Church of Cary at 218 South Academy St, in Cary at 11:00am on Saturday, November 19th with Rev. Mike Eddinger presiding.

There will be a visitation at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Rd, in Cary on Friday, November 18th from 6:00 – 8:00pm. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to Baptist Children’s Homes Of NC, PO Box 338, Thomasville, NC 27361 or to Hospice Of Wake County, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.

Lastly, Charles' family would like to extend our most sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff of Glenaire Retirement Community, where Charles lived since 2003, and especially to the staff of the nursing unit for his incredibly dignified and exceptional care over the last 18 months of his life. We would also like to thank our extended families, our friends, and our own church communities who have lifted up prayers for us all as Dad "walked through the valley of the shadow of death." We are so grateful to you all.