Jerry Williams

Jerry Charles Williams, age 78 of Dallas, GA passed away unexpectedly on Friday, March 26, 2021.  Jerry was born May 8, 1942 in Bon Air, Alabama to Arnold Odelle Williams and Ruby Estelle Thomas Williams.  He was the fourth of eleven children and attended Winterboro High School.  Jerry enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1964 and worked in supply squadrons around the world until his retirement in 1991 as a master sergeant.  He married Carolyn Ann Simpson in 1966 and they had two daughters during the next three years.

Jerry had been a resident of Dallas since 1986.  After his retirement, Jerry spent much of his time working in his beloved garden.  He so loved to share vegetables from his garden with his friends and neighbors and would encourage so many to come pick blueberries anytime they wanted.  He was a huge fan of watermelon and cantaloupe.  He also loved going to yard sales across Paulding County and developed many lasting friendships with other yard sale regulars.  He loved fishing in his younger days and his oldest daughter, Jeanne, will always cherish the many fishing trips at SAC Lake on Columbus AFB, MS.  She had so hoped to be able to go fishing with him again someday.  His youngest daughter Penny has fond memories of going catfishing at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the time that he spent teaching her to ride a bike.  Jerry would always spend time with his girls to teach them things about life and the world around them.  He also loved to laugh.  He never tried to be anyone but himself.  He was a very good man.

More than anything else, Jerry loved taking care of his family.  His wife Carolyn has been bedridden for many years and he lovingly devoted himself to be her primary caregiver.  He loved to bring her flowers even after over 54 years of marriage.  He would do anything for his two daughters, Jeanne (Fred) Ricketson, and Penny Scott and fiancé Kenny Davis.  He was a devoted “PawPaw” to his grandchildren Heather Ricketson, Aubrey Ricketson, Brian Ricketson, Samantha Dill and Taylor Scott, as well as his great-grandchildren Kyndale Dill, Alannah Clark, Selena Clark, and JJ Clark, but he did not get to meet his newest great-grandchild Jonathan Clark who was born the day before Jerry passed away.

Jerry loved to keep in touch with his many siblings.  His surviving siblings are Henry (Beverly) Williams of San Jose, CA, Maxcine (Jerry) Carpenter of Sycamore, AL, Glenda Price of Childersburg, AL, Larry (Mary) Williams of Alpine, AL, and Kathy (Patrick) Jones of Centreville, AL.  He was preceded in death by his siblings Dexter Williams, Gail Benton, Doris Hamlett, Vicki Edmundson, and Margie Carden, as well as his parents Odelle and Ruby.

Although Jerry was busy with his family and his garden, he loved to connect with distant friends and family, too. Through social media, he had been able to reconnect over the past year and a half with so many old friends and family he had been unable to go visit because of his devotion to his wife’s care.  He so enjoyed “reuniting” and reminiscing with those he had not seen in so long.  He was especially fond of his good friends Lise and Bill Gilbert and his neighbor James Bell.  Mr. Bell watched over their place after it burned in a terrible fire last June and as the house was being rebuilt.  He was the one who called 911 when Jerry collapsed in the driveway a few weeks ago.  Jerry’s family is so grateful to Lise and Mr. Bell for their devoted friendship.

Per his wishes, Jerry will be cremated.  A service to honor his memory and scatter his ashes will be scheduled at a future date so that Carolyn can attend the service.