116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Roger Williams
ROGER DARYL WILLIAMS
Iowa City
Roger D. Williams was born June 6, 1931, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to William George Williams and Bessie Ruth Rickey. He died at Mercy Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa, on Thursday, May 4, 2017, at 85 years.
He was married to Doris Jeanne King, his high school sweetheart, on July 23, 1949, in Winfield, Iowa. Five children came from this union: two daughters and three sons.
Roger Williams is survived by his wife, Doris; two daughters, Brenda Williams Hollingsworth (Mark) of Winterset and Lee Williams Martin (Rankin) of Centralia, Mo.; three sons, the Rev. Michael R. Williams (Rebecca) of Colorado Springs, Colo., Joseph S. Williams (Elizabeth) of Yelm, Wash., and Dean A. Hamilton (Barbara) of Mount Pleasant; 15 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and one brother, Craig Williams (Linda) of Burlington, who with a large circle of relatives and friends, are left to mourn his loss.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Ruth Williams; an infant brother, Gary Dean Williams; and grandson, Chad Hamilton.
Roger's teaching career spanned 37 years, beginning in Brighton, then Wapello, and then the WACO school system. He was both teacher and administrator in the Mount Pleasant school system from 1965 to 1995. He also served as professor and head of the education division at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, retiring in 1997.
He was a member of New Song Episcopal Church in Coralville and past president of the Mount Pleasant Rotary Club. He loved his Iowa Hawkeyes and attended games whenever possible.
Ever an educator, Roger served as rotary district chairman of the Youth Exchange Program, a past officer of the National Council of the Teachers of English (NCTE), and participated in the University of Iowa College of Medicine's Simulated Patient Instructor Program. He loved learning and made a difference in the lives of many young people through education.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 10, at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City, with a reception to follow. Interment is in Forest Home Cemetery, Mount Pleasant. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, also at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed toward Iowa City Hospice at www.iowacityhospice.org/donate.
Online condolences may be made at www.lensingfuneral.com.
Daily Newsletters