Leon Williams

Leon “Willie” Williams was born on September 6, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee to the late, Ernest Blake, Jr. and Esther Mae Williams. He was preceded in death by both parents, sister, Dorothy (Puddin) Bailey and his great grandson, Alex. He received Christ at an early age and united with New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. He married the love of his life, Ms. Margaret Louise Ruffin, in January 1979. To this union, Leonya, Tinorra, and Travis Williams were born.

Willie was not only a soldier for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but he also served his country as a former Sergeant during the Vietnam Era in the United States Air Force from December 26, 1968 to December 25, 1974 where he received an Honorable discharge. After his tour of duty he moved to Toledo, Ohio and found employment with City Auto Stamping for twenty seven years until the closing of the company.

Willie’s love for the numerous activities of his life included playing cards such as tonk, coon can, and solitaire. He was a very good chess player and loved to challenge others to a friendly game with lots of trash talking of course. When he wasn’t playing cards or chess you could find him somewhere in a corner with his legs crossed, glasses hanging off his nose while reading a good book or trying to figure out all the differences from one of those “spot the difference” magazines.

Willie also loved fixing any and everything he could get his hands on. He was always working on someone’s car, finding old televisions or vacuum cleaners that someone got rid of. He would figure out how to fix it and it would work like it was never broken, therefore his children called him “Roc” based on the television show from the nineties. His favorite thing to fix was bicycles for all of the neighborhood children who grew up calling him “Uncle Willie”. All of the neighborhood children loved them some “Uncle Willie”. He wasn’t loved because he fixed their broken bikes, he was loved because he was genuinely a nice person who just wanted to make others smile.

Willie leaves to cherish his memories, his former wife, Margaret Williams. His children; Leonya (Charles III) Williams; Tinorra (Todd) Mays; and Travis Williams. His grandchildren; Kenisha, Charles IV, and Charlesa Pruitt; His great granddaughter; Alexa. His sisters; Reverend Mary (Sug) Harper of El Paso, Texas; Ernestine (Pie) Williams of Chicago, Illinois; His favorite Aunt, Norma Jean Johnson; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends including his best friends of fifty one years; Charles (Sonny) Glover and Frank Cherry.

Willie’s family will receive friends Saturday at the Castillo Funeral Home after 10 AM followed by funeral services at 11:00 AM. Memorial tributes may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

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