Charles Williams Sr.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Charles Richard Williams Sr., 77, a resident of Charleston, earned his wings and his crown Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, while at Southeast Hospital surrounded by his loving family.

He was born Sept. 9, 1940, in Marshall, Missouri, to the late Charles and Dorothy Lewis Williams.

He married Marilyn Joann Williams in 1963, and they have three children, Charles Richard Williams Jr., Stephanie Williams Crawford and Monica Williams Brown, and four grandchildren, Anthony Crawford Jr., Marissa Crawford, Isaiah Williams and Le'Niya Brown. He was a dedicated family man, who made each one of his children and grandchildren believe that he were his favorite.

He was a graduate of Marshall High School class of 1958. He attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall, where his granddaughter, Marissa Crawford, is enrolled as a junior and his brother, Stephen Williams, is a graduate.

Charles grew up watching his father funeral direct and as a result became passionate about the profession. He graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Chicago in 1962. Charles did his apprenticeship under Lawrence H. Jones Sr. in Kansas City, Missouri. Upon completion, he moved to Charleston in 1966 to work for L.R. Sparks Funeral Home as a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He later became part owner and operator of the funeral home. Charles had over 55 years of experience and owned three funeral homes in Charleston, Howardville, Missouri, and Sikeston, Missouri.

Charles loved to cook as does his sister. He said it was his way to relax after a long day. He had many signature dishes he loved to prepare for his family and friends. Most of those dishes will not be duplicated. He was one of a kind.

A typical Sunday for him would include waking everyone in the home with "The Gospel Hour" jamming as he prepared breakfast for all. He would prep his dinner and then head to church. After church, he would make a quick trip to Walmart to pick up something he usually didn't need and would spend hours getting it, because he ran into everyone he knew. He would arrive home, set the dinner table (no paper products on Sunday) and let dinner finish cooking while he watched sports. After dinner and a cocktail, he would have dessert. He said it wasn't Sunday dinner without dessert.

Charles loved to dress and socialize. He will be remembered for his brilliant smile and his gold teeth. He had a strong voice and could sing. He and his brother can be heard as back-ups on their cousins', members of the Kerr family, compact discs. He loved to play cards, buy his scratch-off tickets, and shop at Walmart.

In 1970, he was elected to the Charleston City Council and was appointed the first black mayor in Southeast Missouri with a majority of the white vote. Some of the highlights that happened during his tenure as mayor of Charleston were: He signed a proclamation for the United Fund; participated in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the new City Hall, his name appearing on the plaque on the outside the building, and he also gave a speech and welcomed Gov. Warren E. and Betty Hearnes home during a "Welcome Home Celebration." Charles had many accomplishments.

He had spent countless hours involved in the community. Charles was very generous. He eagerly supported local fundraising. He was a former member of the Delta Area Equal Opportunity Council (DAEOC) Board, United Fund Board and Bootheel Economic Development Council. He was appointed to the Sikeston Area Committee of the Farmers Home Administration (FHA) for three years, and was also appointed to the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission.

Charles was a past president of the Southeast Missouri Funeral Directors Association, a past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was a lifetime member of the NAACP. He was presented with the NAACP Community Service Award on Jan. 17, 2001.

Charles is a past Master of Harmony Lodge No. 40 F. and A.M. of Cape Girardeau and was recently honored for having achieved 40-plus years of service.

He was a Human Resource Development Member, a former Little League baseball coach, a member of the Ten Tall Ones Civic Club, a member of the Urban Renewal Board, Chamber of Commerce and former member of Susanna Wesley Learning Center Board. In 1973, Charles was published in the book of Outstanding Young Men of America.

He was a founding member of the Black Mayors Conference in 1974 in Fayette, Mississippi. In 1994, he and the 12 other founding members were honored in Washington, D.C., during a national conference. Currently, there are over 450 black mayors.

Charles received the NAACP Service Award from the city of Charleston, the Mayor's Award and the Community Citizens Award. He was presented the "key" to Sikeston at one time. He was the guest speaker for the Daughters of Sunset on March 7, 1993.

Charles assisted Helen Currin with the first Nutrition Center in Charleston, with the help of only volunteers, to assure that senior citizens would get one hot meal a day. The first day, only 15 people were served, and only one white person attended every day. In less than two years, there were over 10,000 free meals served and delivered with donated food until government assistance was obtained.

He was a proud sponsor of the "Gospel Hour" that airs every Sunday morning from 8 to 10 a.m. on 92.9 FM. In 2005, he was presented a plaque in appreciation of 18 years of continued sponsorship of The Gospel Hour Radio Ministry given by the 92.9 FM Gospel Hour staff.

In September 2014, Charles was the grand marshal of the Love Thy Neighbor parade in Charleston. During that same month on the 13th, he was honored by having the former Mark Twain Park renamed in his honor. The park is located on the corner of Lafayette and North Elm streets. The celebration continued the following day, when he and his wife were praised at the Bowden Civic Center by family and friends on their continued dedication and commitment to the local area. In February 2015, Charles and Marilyn were recognized by Cornerstone Baptist Church in Sikeston during its Black History Celebration for their outstanding service to their community.

If you stopped by Williams Funeral Homes, Inc., and on a rare occasion found Charles not working, he would proudly give you the history of his family. He enjoyed talking about Pennytown. Every first Sunday in August, family and friends would gather to have church and fellowship at Freewill Baptist Church. In 1988 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. He happily showed off the "Certificate of Freedom," which was given to his great-grandmother, Penelope, at 5 months old. Those were the official papers that freed her as a slave. He was so proud of his family and spoke of those, past and present, fondly.

Charles had been a member of Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church since 1966 and was the former director of the youth choir. In 2016, Charles became an elder. He loved his church family and enjoyed fellowshipping with other churches in the area as well. Most evenings he could be found reading his Bible, and every night before he went to bed, he got on his knees and prayed. He was truly a man of God.

In addition to his parents, Charles Linwood Williams and Dorothy Lewis Williams, Charles was preceded in death by a sister-in-law, Priscilla Joyce Williams.

Charles leaves to cherish so many great memories, his devoted wife of 54 years, Marilyn Joann Williams; one son, Charles Richard Williams Jr. of St. Louis; two daughters and a son-in-law, Stephanie Williams Crawford of Charleston and Monica and Leon Brown Jr. of St. Louis; a brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Alma Williams of Charleston; a sister, Lola Louise Williams of Marshall; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Frances and Loren Cornish of Peoria, Illinois; four grandchildren, Anthony Crawford Jr. of Cape Girardeau, Marissa Crawford of Charleston, Isaiah Williams of Charleston and Le'Niya Brown of St. Louis; five step-grandchildren, Leon Brown III, Alexis Brown and Adreion Brown, all of St. Louis, and Leonche' (Craig) Burrell and Alana Burrell of Belleville, Illinois; two special cousins, George Gregory of Columbia, Missouri, and Ellen Villars of Kansas City, Missouri; the Williams Funeral Home family, Joe Williams Jr., Bishop Paul Jones, Eric Starnes, Naray Moore, LaMarcus Steward, Delores "Cherry" Young, Martha Bobo, Barton "Rip" Thomas and Ira Jo Gordon; nephews, nieces, cousins, other relatives, friends and an entire community.

Charles was dedicated to his business. He loved what he did, especially delivering calendars and fans to a majority of the black churches in Southeast Missouri. His favorite saying to his daughter, Stephanie Williams Crawford, was, "We are here to provide a service to the community." That service will be a part of his legacy as the Williams Funeral Home Family continues to follow his tradition of providing excellent service. Terry Parker, Mississippi County Coroner, funeral director, and a friend, recently stated, "Mr. Williams was a man of great integrity and dignity and set a high standard as a leader in funeral service."

Charles was always there for his family, friends, and community. He will surely be missed.

Visitations will be from 6 to 8 p.m. each night, on Wednesday at the Williams Funeral Chapel, 72 County Road 506 in Howardville; Thursday at the Williams Funeral Chapel, 305 Petty St., in Sikeston, and Friday at the Williams Funeral Chapel, 304 Vine St. in Charleston.

A celebratory barbecue for family and friends will be held 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Charles R. Williams Sr. Park, corner of North Elm and Lafayette streets in Charleston, with a balloon release immediately following. T-shirts will be worn on this day. If you would like a T-shirt, please call your order in to (573) 683-6608 by 8 p.m. today. They must be paid for in advance. Payments may be made over the phone or in person at the Charleston location.

Visitation will continue on Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m., at Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church, 415 W. Marshall St., in Charleston, with a Homegoing Celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. A final visitation will be held Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the church, with a final Homegoing Service from 3 to 4 p.m.

Final resting place will be in Oak Grove Cemetery in Charleston.