Richard Leroy Williams
August 23, 1944 - June 27, 2019

Richard Leroy Williams was born in Severn, Maryland, on August 23, 1944, to the late Robert Emery and Carlean Gambrill Williams. He departed this life on June 27, 2019. Two brothers, Robert ("Bobby") and Larry Williams, preceded him in death. Richard's early education was in the Anne Arundel County school district in Maryland. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University in Baltimore where he pledged the fraternity Omega Psi Phi. He was then drafted into the United States Army and served in the Republic of Vietnam from 1969-1970 as a Spec 5. After being honorably discharged, he attended and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Master's degree in Business Administration. In 1974, Richard became employed with IBM in Manassas, Virginia. After retiring from IBM, he was later employed with the Lockheed Martin Corporation, also in Manassas, from which he retired in 2010. In 1984, Richard was united in marriage to his devoted wife Sharon. They were blessed with one son, Rick, and resided in Centreville, Virginia until 2010, moving first to Advance and later to Clemmons, NC. Richard had a great sense of humor, and he was always quick with a joke. As one of nine children, he had many targets on which to perfect his craft of pranking. If he had something funny on you, he never missed the opportunity to retell (or better yet, re-enact) the story, with each reiteration becoming larger and more embellished with each retelling. This continued throughout his adult life, as Rick can recall countless corny "Dad" stories and jokes. He loved sports, and as a youth he played for the Severn Pirates and Severn Wildcats sandlot baseball teams. As an adult, he learned the game of tennis, and played for many years, even teaching the game to Rick. He was a life-long Pittsburgh Steelers fan and expected nothing but perfection from the team. If the team was having a less-than-stellar year he threatened to "dump the bums" and find a new team, but somehow this never happened. Richard was a devoted husband and father. He loved supporting his son's musical endeavors, being a proud "pit crew" member for his son's high school band. Even in his sickness, when asked what his biggest accomplishment in life was, he said it was his son. Richard leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife Sharon; his devoted son Rick (Hana Kommel) of Los Angeles, California; four sisters, Joan Strauther (Joseph Smith), Diana Owens, Carol Norton and Linda Burrell; two brothers, Gordon (Margaret) Williams and Brian Williams; sister-in-law Donna Williams, all residing in Maryland; his mother-in-law Marcella Lewis; brothers-in-law Clyde Lewis, Jr. and Kenneth Lewis (Paula); sister-in-law Marsha Howell (Orlanda), all of Mocksville, NC; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Richard Leroy Williams please visit our Sympathy Store. Visitation JUL 1. 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (EDT) Graham Funeral Home 635 Wilkesboro St.Mocksville, NC, 27028 Burial JUL 2. 11:00 AM (EDT) National Cemetery 501 Statesville Boulevard SalisburySalisbury, NC, 28144

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