BILLY J. WILLIAMS
1938-2017
Billy Jim Williams was a man of many words. His stories left lasting impressions on every person he came in touch with and, as he walked away, smiles would still linger. Billy would tell you his wife, Lillian Williams, gave him the greatest impression of all, her love. He was a devoted husband to her for 57 years. To his two daughters, Cindy and Susan, he was a strong and caring father, to his son in law, Richard, he was a mentor and a teacher, to his five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, he was simply “Boppa”. He was the force of life behind his family, by encouraging and guiding them with his vast knowledge, compassion and a whole lot of common sense.
Billy Jim would always say he spent 45 years having to shave and cut his hair for work, so on his first day of his retirement, he began to grow out his beard and hair. Soon enough, he began using his beard as a way to measure his retired time and saying, “This is how long I have been retired for.” As his beard grew longer, his life grew fuller and fuller. His growing age never stopped him from living an exploratory life. Billy Jim was a collector of many effects, such as McDonald Toys that he referred to as nuggets. His charm was the warmth many people felt when speaking with him. It was his such charm that contributed to his numerous good deals. From tinkering in his shed to his Mountain Man reenactments, there was never a dull moment or shallow breathes in his life.
Billy Jim was born in a small East Texas town, Jasper, on April 18th, 1938 from parents, William and Jessie Williams. At age 79, he ascended into Heaven to be with our Lord on May 20th, 2017. He is survived by his wife, Lillian Williams, his daughters, Cindy Delgado and Susan Booth; his brothers, Ray and Tom Williams; his sister in laws, Dorthy Heinze & Ruby Nimtz; his son in law, Richard Booth; his grandchildren, Robert Delgado, Joy-Marie Cherry, Heather Splawn, Kelley Clark and Jessica Delgado; his great-grandchildren, Michael, Alyssa & Kaitlyn Cherry, Braelynn & Deacon Splawn, and Lucas & Mindy Clark.