Family, friends, colleagues celebrate Williams' life

The words "family," "faith," and "service" figured prominently during a memorial ceremony for Iredell County Board of Commissioners Chairman Godfrey Williams on Tuesday afternoon at Fairview Baptist Church in Statesville.

Williams died Saturday after a year-long bout with pancreatic cancer.

Family members chose to have the service at Fairview because they expected a crowd too large for the Williams' home church, Friendship United Methodist, in northern Iredell County.

The family was right.

A nearly standing-room-only crowd comprising of Williams' family, friends and dignitaries from throughout the county were in attendance during the hour-long service.

Steve Johnson shared the Iredell County Commissioners dais with Williams for most of the past decade.
Johnson spoke about Williams' steadfastness and dedication.

"When I think of Godfrey, what quickly comes to mind is the word, 'service,' " Johnson said. "He served his family. He served his church. He served his country, his community and his county. But he always had time for individuals in need."

Johnson said Williams was "kind, patient, long-suffering, prudent and humble" among other things.

"But you would be making a mistake if you mistook his humility for a lack of strength," Johnson added. "Because Godfrey was a man of tremendous resolve and a man of great faith."

Johnson said that in the many years he had known Williams, he had only witnessed him losing his temper twice. Johnson said many times he had watched as Williams listened to citizens falsely accuse him of things and not get noticeably upset by the incidents.

"The two times I did see him get angry," Johnson said, "was when a person was making false accusations against someone else."

Johnson said that one of those occasions nearly boiled over into a physical altercation.

"I had to get between them," Johnson said, "or someone was going to take a whuppin'."

Those gathered gave a chuckle and Johnson continued to remind the audience of Williams' lighter side.

"There were rules Godfrey lived by," Johnson said. "I'll go over a few of them. Number one was that you can't campaign on an empty stomach. Number two, you can't assess policy or make good decisions on an empty stomach. And you can't give a good speech on an empty stomach. With Godfrey, politics and food were closely aligned."

Johnson then became serious and said spoke of Williams religious beliefs.

"The thing I admired most about Godfrey was his faith," Johnson said, and added that in recent weeks, during Williams' bout with cancer, the two men spoke often about faith.

"And they were some of the best days I've had," Johnson said.

When he finished speaking, Johnson thanked Williams' wife, Patsy.

"This has been one of the greatest honors I've ever had," he said.

Williams' lifelong friend Vaughn Sprinkle also spoke at the service.

He talked about how the two men grew up in rural northern Iredell County.

"I guess you could call it country," Sprinkle joked.

He then got a bit emotional and asked, hypothetically, "Are there enough words to describe Robert Godfrey Williams?"

Sprinkle told of a time Williams' father was receiving treatment at Duke University Medical Center for a brain tumor and his mother stayed in Durham. Williams stayed with Sprinkle's family.

"Godfrey was an only child," Sprinkle said. "But if he had a little brother, I guess it was me."

Sprinkle said Williams had a fun-loving personality and a mind that constantly engaged.

"He was fun to be around," he said. "He was always dreaming and scheming. He'd say, 'Let's build a ballfield. Let's build a treehouse.' "

Sprinkle said Williams was involved in so many community and governmental activities, "That I don't know when he slept."

Sprinkle then added, "But I know this, you can't replace Godfrey Williams."

Williams pastor at Friendship, the Rev. Gary Richardson, summed up Williams' life with a quote largely attributed to George Bernard Shaw: "Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?"

Richardson added," Godfrey was that dreamer. He believed Iredell County could do better and he was right."

Richardson said Williams took difficult decisions to heart. He recalled a time of consternation Williams had when commissioners realized that the budget required trimming and possibly job cuts.

"They were not just numbers to Godfrey," Richardson said. "Those numbers were people he knew. Those numbers were his friends."

Richardson said Williams' legacy will be the effect he had on people.

"Because of his faith, we know a little bit more about faith," Richardson said. "And because of his love, we know a little bit more about love."

Williams was laid to rest at the cemetery on the grounds of Friendship United Methodist Church.