By Staff
October 18, 2005
Funeral for Rudy Michael Williams, 52, of Gainesville, Fla. was Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. at Union Hill Freewill Baptist Church in Eva with Peck Funeral Home directing.
Burial was in the adjoining cemetery.
Mr. Williams died Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005, at Haven Hospice in Gainesville from complications of a brain cancer. He was born March 7, 1953, in Hartselle to the Rev. James Williams of Eva and the late Joyce Bice Williams. He attended Eva Elementary and was a 1971 graduate of Eva High School. He also attended Calhoun College.
In October 1972, he joined the Navy and served until July 1994, when he retired as a chief petty officer.
He was a veteran of the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars and served aboard the Navy ships, Horns, Forrest Sherman, Forrestal and Thomas C. Hart. Among his commendations were the Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal and Kuwait Liberation Medal, as well as the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Bronze Stars and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with one Silver Star.
He enrolled at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and graduated in 1997 with a degree in law enforcement technology. He was employed with the Starke Police Department and later, while working as a patrolman with the Waldo Police Department, became known by the nickname, "Waldo Willie".
Most recently, he had been a deputy with the Bradford County Sheriff's Department in Starke.
He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Jennifer Overstreet Williams; a son, Kristopher Williams of Tallahassee, Fla.; three stepsons, Eugene Nobinger, Anthony Nobinger and Terry Nobinger, all of Eva; a grandson; three step-grandchildren; two sisters, Trudy Stewart of Pittsville, Wis. and Ramona Lee of Eva; and father-in-law Fermon (Lillian) Overstreet of Hartselle.