James William (Bill) Williams, 88, of Mint Hill, died peacefully in hospice care on August 13, 2018.

Bill grew up on a Mecklenburg County farm and stopped his formal education in eighth grade to help his family. At 17, he started in the mailroom at Singer Sewing and climbed the ranks to become the company’s North American Operations Director. That career took a brief detour while he served active combat duty as a United States Army sergeant in the Korean War.

Bill found lasting love young, and married Joyce Aughtry at 16. They spent 53 devoted years together, raising three children and making homes and friends in Atlanta, New York, New Jersey and Mint Hill before her death in 2000.

He grieved deeply for years before finding new love; marrying Betty Summey in 2006.  

Bill kept busy: He restored antique cars, planted bountiful vegetable gardens and toiled over countless carpentry projects. He was a former president of The Korean War Veterans of North Carolina where he helped establish a memorial for the war’s fallen soldiers.

Bill’s heart was his family: He was close to his children and grandchildren who remember him as a Little League coach, as the captain of family camping trips and as the good-natured Granddaddy with a freezer full of ice cream and a pantry stuffed with candy.

They will miss him immensely.

He’s survived by his wife, Betty Williams; daughters Gail Forsythe (Eddie) and Cindy Corwin (Mark); son Ed Williams (Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis); brother Larry Williams and grandchildren Patrick and Christopher Forsythe; Melissa Sells, Matthew Corwin, Mallory Hill, Vincent and Allison Williams; and great-grandson Cody Sells. He was preceded in death by his parents, Simeon and Ola Mae Williams, and a sister, Gladys Phillips.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Friday, August 17th at Wilson Grove Baptist Church, 6624 Wilgrove Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill. Visitation will be from 12 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the church.

A committal service will follow at Sunset Memory Gardens.

Condolences may be offered at www.mcewenminthillchapel.com.