Ramon "Ray" Williams

Ramon John Williams was born October 4, 1934, in rural Portsmouth, Iowa, the son of Raymond and Dorothy Williams. He passed away Monday, February 10, 2020, at the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison, Iowa, at the age of eighty-five.
Ramon graduated from Dunlap High School with the class of 1953. Ramon entered the United States Army February 11, 1957, serving his country in Germany as military police. He was honorably discharged February 4, 1959, and received the Marksman (Carbine Pistol) Award and Good Conduct Medal. He was united in marriage with Myra Butler April 8, 1961 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dow City, Iowa.
Ramon’s various areas of employment included: the railroad, worked for area farmers, did carpentry work for Holly Fouts of Dow City and helped build the elevator in Charter Oak. He was also employed at Tiptop Products in Omaha and Hested Lee and J.J. Newberry Dime Stores.
They lived in Norfolk, Nebraska, Pierre, South Dakota, Carroll, Iowa, Moorhead, Minnesota and Jamestown, North Dakota, where they purchased the Ben Franklin Store. In 1979, they purchased the Gambles store in Denison and moved to Charter Oak in 1980. Ramon was then employed by Dubuque Packing until it closed in 1988 and then worked for Hineline Furniture Store in Harlan, Iowa.
Community involvement was important to Ramon as he served on the Charter Oak-Ute School Board from 1982 until 1985 and was on the St. Boniface Church Council from 1982 to 1984. He enjoyed woodworking, horses, dancing at Columbia Hall on Friday nights, and watching westerns and Lawrence Welk on television. Ramon was also a basketball fan, pro and college, and also always attended his children’s and grandchildren’s games.
Ramon was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Kenneth and Donald; five brothers-in-law, Ernie, Ward, Larry, Franklyn and Jerry; one sister-in-law, Mary. Survivors include: his wife, Myra; three daughters, Phyllis and husband, Scott, Tammy, and Laura and husband, Bryan; two sons, Timothy and wife, Diane, and Todd and wife, Kristine; fourteen grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; three brothers, Neil, Phillip and Dally; five sisters, Roseanne, Donna, Betty, Janet, and Colleen; two sisters-in-law, Kay, and Coleen and husband, Skip; other relatives and friends.