Jay Edwin Williams

Jay Edwin Williams, 85 years old, of Phoenix, Arizona passed away on June 4, 2021. Jay was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and great great grandfather. Jay was married to his wife Carol for 23+ years before she passed away. Jay was the father to Bill (Sandy), Dan (Luanne), Rick, Dawn (Richard), and Lori (Joe). He was also the grandfather of 13 (10 spouses), great grandfather to 28, and great great grandfather to 1.

Jay was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He was raised on a farm in Oregon. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy. In the Navy he was a corpsman. He worked in the ship’s hospital. He was in the Navy for 10 years, until he needed to leave to care for his children, Rick and Dawn. After the Navy, he worked in several different occupations. He was a meat packer, he worked in a brewery, he worked in the warehouse business, until he finally settled in as a truck driver.

Jay believed in family. Jay and Carol created a blended family of his, hers, and ours. He did a great job of providing for his family. Jay put others first before himself. He and Carol made each birthday special as well as Christmas, providing something special for each child. Jay also enjoyed life and nature. He took his family on many vacations throughout the western U.S. They vacationed at the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, San Diego, the beaches in California, Crater Lake, parts of Oregon and Washington, and also went to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. Jay instilled his sense of hard work and dedication to his children. He believed that through hard work you could succeed at anything you put your mind to. Jay also moved from Arizona to Oregon to be with his mother when her health was declining. He was proud of his entire family and they meant the world to him.

Jay was an avid gardener. He was always planting and tending to his gardens wherever he lived. His plantings included many different types of flowers as well as several types of fruits and vegetables. He grew so many that he began to can them and give them away.

Jay was an avid country dancer later in his life. He loved to go dancing most every weekend until his health declined. In fact, he was part of a country line dance at half-time for the Phoenix (Arizona) Cardinals.

Jay was a man of faith. He grew up Catholic. However, when he married Carol, she was a southern Baptist. He followed her to this church and brought his children up to believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. He was a Sunday School Teacher and a Deacon in the church. When he moved back to Oregon to be with his mother, he began to go back to the Catholic Church with her. He continued with the masses after his mother’s death and his subsequent move back to Arizona. He gave religiously to the church.

Jay left an imprint on all of our lives. Jay is reunited with Carol and looking down on us from Heaven. He is our Guardian Angel. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him.