Mr W Ralph Williams, Sr, age 90 of Chipley, died Sunday, Feb 14, 1999 at his home.  He was the son the late Nix and Jennie Gainer Williams of Chipley.  He never met a stranger, and he enjoyed discussing sports and farming with anyone who shared his interests.  He remained an active farmer until the end of his life.  In addition to farming, he worked for many years as a substitute rural mail carrier.  He was a lifelong resident of Washington County where he graduated from high school and participated on the varsity baseball and football teams.  He took pride in his family's long history in the Panhandle of Florida.  As a direct descendant of Andrew Elton Williams, he traced his family back to one of the pioneering families of this area who settled near Campbelton in 1809.  He enjoyed attending the Williams Family Reunion every year at Galilee Church near Graceville.  An active member of the First United Methodist Church of Chipley, he remembered his father and grandfather participating in the construction of the present church.

	Funeral services were held on Feb 16, at the First United Methodist Church with the Rev John King and the Rev John Dickinson officiating and Brown Funeral Home directing.

	Survivors include his wife of 61 years Janie Livingston Williams of the Washington County Convalescent Center; daughter Jeannie Williams McCall (husband R Dale) of Wilmington, North Carolina; son W R (Bill) Williams, Jr (wife Laverne) of Chipley; grandchildren Chad Williams (wife Keisha); Jennifer Williams; Boyd Williams; and Jonathan McCall; great-grandchild Kristeen Elizabeth Williams.

	He was preceded in death by a daughter, Carole Sue (1942); brother Milton Williams, a Methodist minister; sisters Clarice Williams Armstrong, Jahaza Williams May, both of Chipley and Bernice Williams Seay of Enterprise, Alabama.

	His family will cherish his memory as an honorable man who was faithful and devoted to his wife, family, and church.

SOURCE:  Holmes County Advertiser, 24 February 1999, Page 21