Willis Edmond Williams

   Willis Edmond “Ed” Williams, III, was born on January 22, 1962, in Mountain View, California. He entered into Heaven July 12, 2019 in Longview, Texas.

   A Life Celebration for Mr. Williams will be held Thursday, July 18, 2019, at 2:00 P.M. at the Longview Baptist Temple with Dr. Bob Gray, II, officiating with interment to follow at Lakeview Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends in the Garden Court of Welch Funeral Home Wednesday, July 17, 2019, 5:00 to 7:00 P.M.

   Ed was a member of Longview Baptist Temple and volunteered in the church food bank. He admired his pastor, Bob Gray II, even though he often tried to steal things from his office. His prankster personality and love of teenagers kept them laughing. He loved making people laugh.

   Ed graduated from the Texas A&M Fire Academy and served with the White Oak, Kilgore, and Henderson Fire Departments. He also worked as a press operator for the Dana Corporation. He has been disabled for the last five years, but picked up several hobbies to fill his time, including growing large sunflowers, making planter boxes out of logs, working in his yard, mowing yards and burning wood outside. Ed loved NASA, the Apollo missions, and watching the space station fly over. Another big part of his life was NASCAR and his favorite driver was Kyle Bush, much to his wife’s dismay.

   Ed is survived by his wife, Laura Williams; his oldest son and daughter-in-law, Timothy Matthew Williams and Katie Williams, and son, Nicolas Tyler Williams, all of White Oak. Ed is also survived by his mother and stepfather, Andy and Wanda Anderson, Longview; two brothers and spouses, Kenneth and Soooyong of California and Glen Anderson of Dallas; mother-in-law, Glenda Reed of Gilmer; sister and brother-in-law, Tim and April Morey, niece and nephews, Joshua Morey and his wife, Meagan, Hannah Morey and Jonathan Morey; and a great nephew, Xander Morey, all of Gilmer; his in-laws, Betty and Doyle Lynch of Chandler, grandmother-in-law, Dellmishie Reed, and many other aunts, uncles and cousins.

   Ed deeply loved Laura, Timothy, Tyler, and Katie and he was loyal to his family and friends. He will be missed by everyone.