Darryl Keith Williams

Darryl was born on September 13, 1942, in Maryville, Tennessee, to Clyde Edward Williams and Irene “Brownie” Shelley Williams. One of his earliest memories was seeing his father walking toward him on the street, wearing his U.S. Army uniform, finally home from World War II. Darryl’s first lessons in character came early, working alongside his military veteran father and paternal grandfather in the family's used furniture business, and riding with his maternal grandfather, a rural letter carrier, as he delivered mail throughout Sevier County. These role models’ examples of joyful hard work instilled in him a lifelong inability to loaf around. Bad news for his eventual “retirement” but great news for his college aspirations: he earned an academic scholarship to Vanderbilt University. In addition to academic talent, he also developed an appreciation for machinery and vehicles. He owned a motorcycle, and a 1959 Chevrolet Impala convertible–the latter being ideal for dates with Karen Repass back home in Maryville. The pair married on September 11, 1964. Over the next 62 years, Darryl frequently remarked to each of his two sons that marrying Karen was the pivotal moment of his life.

With a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt, Darryl went on to earn a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1965. The second degree convinced the Eastman Chemical Company that he was serious, so they hired him that year as an entry level engineer.

Darryl spent 34 years with Eastman, in positions of ever increasing responsibility. In 1974 the family moved to Irmo, South Carolina, where Darryl was responsible for building a polymer manufacturing plant nearby. They raised their sons in Irmo through high school. Thereafter, the South Carolina midlands and coast would always feel like home. No matter where life might take them, Darryl and Karen knew they would eventually retire in the Palmetto State.

Boston was the first of many hometowns in the interim. In 1989 and 1990, Darryl represented Kodak as a Sloan Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Master of Science in Management. Then, based in Tokyo, he served as President of Eastman Chemicals Japan Limited, responsible for the company's Asia Pacific business. He and Karen loved their time in Tokyo, travelling about Asia and hosting dinner parties in their Shibuya home. Darryl retired in 1999 as Senior Vice President of Technology and Research at the company's headquarters in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Time to relax! He tried. Relocating to South Carolina, he bought a set of golf clubs and a little bass boat. Unfortunately, leisure just didn’t suit him. There was so much more to learn and do. As a “retirement project” he enrolled in Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, earning an unnecessary but satisfying MA in Religion in 2004. Afterward, when he discovered he could study tuition-free at the University of South Carolina, he enrolled in Spanish and statistics courses. In every class, he was the oldest student by far.

After having worked his way up the ecumenical ladder through various Christian churches and denominations since childhood, Darryl grasped the top rung in 2011 when he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Columbia. He was a longtime member of the weekly Men's Prayer Group and served as a lay reader at Mass. Continuing his failed retirement, he was instrumental in the church's successful petition to the Vatican for designation as a minor basilica. He instituted and promoted Hospitality Saint Peter's, a program that encourages parishioners to get to know one another over small potluck dinners in one another's homes. He took it upon himself to produce and maintain the parish's digital photographic directory. One of his favorite acts of service was the creation of visitstpetersgraveyard.org, a comprehensive online archive documenting the Basilica's roughly 200 nineteenth-century graves and the history behind the individuals buried there. Somewhere along the way, he sold the unused retirement golf clubs and fishing boat to make more workspace in the garage. To remove all temptation, he donated his fishing gear to a Boy Scouts troop.

To maximize his usefulness to his family, church, and community, and in responsible gratitude for the gift of his own life, Darryl always worked to maintain physical fitness. For decades he charted his weight daily on graph paper magneted to the refrigerator or taped to the shower door. He tended toward solo sports (running, biking, walking) that allowed for time to think about his church projects or to contemplate an essay in progress for one of his two personal blogs: Permanent Fixes (“Commentary on the Facets of Life, Usually Based on Personal Experience, Data, and Logic”) and Last of All (“Church and Faith Issues”). He ran the Carolina Marathon in 1977, and enjoyed running throughout subsequent years until his joints demanded lower impact activities. Until recently–to the amazement of his family and doctors–his recumbent bicycle was a frequent sight throughout Columbia and along the Congaree River Trail. He was happy to report having put more than 42,000 miles on the bike, which according to his own meticulous record keeping was more than Karen put on her car during those same years.

Darryl was always on the lookout for opportunities to be useful. He volunteered for years with Meals on Wheels, taking to heart its motto, "Delivering more than a meal." He made a point of knowing his “customers” and their circumstances, brought his grandchildren along on his routes and introduced them ahead of time to the person waiting at the next stop. He was known to slip an occasional pint of ice cream in with a delivery. He worked with Homeworks of America, leading youth volunteers on home-improvement projects for Columbia residents unable to do the work themselves; with Clean of Heart, a Catholic charity providing showers and laundry to those in need; and with Birthright of Columbia, which offers free and confidential help to women facing an unplanned or difficult pregnancy. For both Homeworks and for Birthright, he brought his technology expertise to bear, deploying modern implementations of Salesforce.

The nearly five years between his pancreatic diagnosis and his death were among the richest of Darryl’s life. Maintaining a sense of gratitude for his many blessings, he endured difficult treatments so that he could go on serving his family, church, and community. His determination paid off for everyone who loved him: while living with cancer, he delivered thousands of meals, made dozens of family trips (even traveling with Karen to Poland!), and was present for his grandchildren's important life events, from birthdays to sporting events to graduations and first jobs–and even one wedding!

Darryl is survived by his wife of 62 years, Beverly Karen Repass Williams, of Columbia, SC; his sons, Greg Williams (Sing) of Maplewood, NJ, and Jeff Williams (Lisa) of Roswell, GA; his grandchildren, Sophie (Caleb) of Nashville, TN, Caroline of Knoxville, TN, Lily of Auburn, AL, and Clyde of Maplewood, NJ; his brother, David Williams (Donna Kay) of Houston, TX; his brothers-in-law, Buddy Fey of Memphis, TN, and Clifford Repass (Elida) of Desoto, TX; his nephews, Brian Williams, Jonathan Williams, and Kenny Marsh, and their families; and his niece, Kristi Davis, and her family; and many cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde E. and Irene S. “Brownie” Williams; his sister, Ruth Ellen Williams; and his sister- and brother-in-law, Sharon and Ward Marsh.

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The family will have a private burial ceremony on Friday, September 18, 2026. All are welcome to join us for a Memorial Mass in Darryl's honor at The Basilica of Saint Peter, 1529 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201 on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 12:00 PM. Following the Mass, lunch will be served for all in attendance.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Basilica of St. Peter Historic Preservation Fund.