R.C. Williams' Obituary
Reuben Clair (“R.C.”) Williams left us August 5, 2024, just a month shy of his 98th birthday on September 9 and his 74th wedding anniversary on August 26. He was the life of any party, anywhere, at any time. He was the guy who poked the bear. We all loved him a lot.
R.C. was born in his grandfather’s four-room shotgun house near the Boeuf River a few miles from the crossroads called Fort Necessity in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. His parents were Isaac Edward (“Ike”) Williams and Jessie Doris Moore. He was the third child of thirteen, with five brothers and seven sisters. R.C.’s 2xgreat Grandfather William Williams, soldier and son of a Revolutionary War general, migrated from Maryland to Louisiana after the War of 1812. His mother’s 2xgreat Grandfather was a Baptist preacher and as a friend of Thomas Jefferson corresponded with him about religious freedom in America. R.C. grew up in the country and started picking cotton when he was five years old at “50 cents a hundred”. He learned to fish and hunt as a necessity to put food on the table, which became his passion for the rest of his life. He and his family became very proud Louisianians and passed a sense of dignity and work ethic on to their children, which continues today with the youngest generation.
R.C. left school and home when he was 15 years old to work to help support the growing family. Home was a four-room frame house with no indoor plumbing or electricity. At age 16, he moved to Houston, Texas and began working in a steel mill. He left that job during World War II in 1944 to enlist in the U.S. Navy. His older brother, Ed Williams, who had previously enlisted in the U.S. Army and shipped off to France, wrote to him and advised that he should “join the navy, they eat better!”. While still under-age, off he went. He served in World War II in the Pacific War aboard the U.S.S. Guest, a navy destroyer as a seaman and fireman, was aboard and shooting a 40 mm gun at enemy aircraft during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and then during the initial months of the occupation of Japan escorting ships through mined waterways. At Okinawa, a kamikaze crashed into the ship near R.C. and he was struck in the back of his neck by a piece of the plane. Luckily, his kapok saved his life. He remained in the service as a reservist until 1959 when he left the service as an officer.
After the war R.C. was admitted to the University of Houston from which he graduated in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. While in school he met Norma Wyrick, who those who know her call, “St. Norma”, on a blind date. This was a match of two stars, one the dashing hero and the other the beautiful and brilliant. They married on August 26, 1950, with total assets of $50 and a borrowed car. Norma was an only child who always wanted siblings and suddenly gained seven sisters and five brothers. She says, “be careful what you ask for”, then says, “I love all of them”. They built their future with classic work ethics, solid family values, and a drive to succeed for the benefit of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. That they most certainly did. R.C. worked for the Shulton Company as a salesman from 1953 until 1967 when he started his own sales agency with his good friend Bob LeClercq, selling various cosmetics and fragrances to retail customers in several states. He retired in 1991 to begin spending more time with his family and enjoying his favorite hobbies, hunting and fishing. He loved to smoke cigars and his cigar smoking became an art form inspiring many to convene at his home on the rear deck to smoke cigars, sip some scotch, and talk about things old, current, wild, and crazy. He really loved to provoke and laugh. Family and friends liked to simply hang out with him.
R.C. is survived by his wife, St. Norma and two sons, Robin Craig Williams and Jeffrey Scott Williams, to whom he instilled his love for the outdoors and his work ethic. Their families are: Robin Craig and wife Barbara Cramer and their children, daughter Robin and her son Leo, son Ryan, son Chad and wife Sherri and their children Sallie, Tyler, and Holly, daughter Chelsea Barron and her children Addisyn and Eddie; Jeffrey Scott and his wife Jane Chamberlain, and their children, daughter Erin and husband Chad Lawson and sons Colton and Isaac Hanson and Liam Lawson, and daughter Mae Lawson, Scottie Wikoff and husband Darrin and their children Chris Wikoff, Taylor Wikoff, Victoria Wikoff, Charlotte, James, Melody, and Delilah, son Adam and his wife Alexa Mason and their daughter Fiona; and, sisters Doris Christensen, Johnnie Jacks, June Jacobs, Sharon Temple and husband Rick, and Beth Cummings, and husband Earl, as well as many nieces and nephews spanning three generations.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Isaac Edward Williams and Jessie Doris Moore Williams, sisters Oneida Bonner and her husband Wesley, Marguerite Dennis and her husband Bob, and brothers Edward Moore Williams and wife Eudotsie, Jesse Douglas Williams, Eli Stanley Williams and wife Joyce, Billy Glyn Williams and wife Blanche, and Clyde Malcolm Williams.
We thought of R.C. as fun and funny, endearing and enduring, challenging and provocative, and comfortable and comforting. He taught us a lot about how to be honest and of value to ourselves and the community. He was there for us when we needed him and was not intrusive when we didn’t. We will miss him a lot and wish him well in his new adventures.
What’s your fondest memory of R.?
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