Joe Billie Williams

On May 19, 2018, surrounded by his family, the eternal and youthful spirit of Joe Billie Williams, better known to his family and friends as Papa Joe, hopped out of his worn out 94 year old body, and with a skip in his step and that twinkle in his eye, made his much anticipated and long awaited return to his heavenly home, to be welcomed and embraced by his loving wife, son, granddaughter and countless other family and friends, and above all, by his savior, Jesus Christ, who no doubt whispered in Joe's ear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Well done."

Joe was born on February 3, 1924 to William Ollie and Annie Ollie Williams, in a little Texas town called Rosebud. Joe was the third of five siblings, and was a mischievous, adventurous, and fun loving young boy. He enjoyed the outdoors and learned the value of hard work and humor, all of which he fully embraced throughout his life. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Joe said he got patriotic and joined the Navy, leaving school and home at the age of seventeen, and honorably serving his country in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters during WWII. His father served in WWI.  His older brother, Jimmie, was killed in action during WWII. While serving in the Navy and stationed in Florida, Joe met Stella Cherry. Both had come to a local USO dance with someone else, but they left the dance hand in hand. After a whirlwind two week courtship, the two were married and would spend the next sixty-nine years hand in hand, building a life and family, facing the ups and downs, the successes and the failures, and the struggles of life and death, head on, side by side, and always with faith, courage and humor, and without complaint.

Joe was a jack of all trades, working on the railroad, performing underwater salvage work as a scuba diver, driving truck, and working as a welder in the ship yards. It was while working in a paper mill in Florida that he heard about a new paper mill being built in Snowflake, AZ. Joe arrived in Snowflake to report for work in the winter of 1961, and the rest of the family soon followed, arriving in Snowflake on January 2, 1962.  Joe would spend the next thirty three years working at the Snowflake Paper Mill, making many lasting friendships and providing for his family. Joe always said how blessed he was and how that was the best job he ever had. After retiring from the paper mill, Joe began another career as a bus driver for the Snowflake School District.  Another job that he loved, and would continue driving bus until he retired again at the age of 85. One of Joe's former student riders was his hospice nurse in his final days, and she spoke about how all of the kids just loved Joe as their bus driver, and what a special man he was.

Joe and his wife Stella loved to travel, but they insisted on driving everywhere they went. They both loved to witness the beauty of nature as they drove from town to town and from state to state. They were very active in their church, the Valley View Baptist Church, where Joe was a deacon, and could always be found lifting up those around him with his boyish smile and his infectious laugh. They made many lifelong friends through their church calings and were always willing to help out in whatever capacity that was needed. They were both good and faithful servants in their service to their Lord and their fellow human beings. Joe was very independent and didn't like to ask for anyone's else's help, and he fought to maintain his independence until the very end. His daughters finally convinced him at the age of ninety three that climbing up on the roof of the house was not such a good idea. He reluctantly went along, knowing that was a battle he would not win. Joe was a family man through and through, and though he would jokingly threaten to take everyone to Holbrook and divorce them, he loved having his family around him.

Joe was the epitome of what a husband, father, grandfather and friend should be. His devotion to his family was never doubted or questioned. Though a man of few words, his actions spoke volumes about the love that he had for his family. Joe not only loved his dear wife Stella, but they were truly in love with each other. And though separated by death for the past few years, his love and devotion to her has never wavered or waned. We can only imagine the beautiful reunion that took place as Joe passed through the veil and stepped into the open arms of his beautiful bride. Though he is no longer a physical presence in our lives, the lessons he taught us and the legacy that he left us will surely sustain those of us most impacted by his loss. We need only recall the memories of his stories, his laughter, and his loving and caring actions, as we face our own struggles and challenges, and ask ourselves, "what would Papa say or do", and in so doing our own lives will be better for it.

Joe was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Stella; son, Bruce; granddaughter, Rikki; along with his parents William and Annie, and his brothers Jimmie, George and Roy.

He is survived by his four children, James (Kenna) Williams, Marsha (Bob) McMillen, Mark (LaDawn) Williams, and Teresa Williams; as well as his sister, Lydia Bell Cone; brother-in-law, Chester Cherry; eleven grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and five great, great-grandchildren.

The family would like to express appreciation to all of those family and friends for their thoughts and prayers, and for those whose visits lifted Joe's spirits and sustained him in his final days.  The family would also like to recognize and thank Hospice Compassus for their assistance, and to the nurses, Jody, Judy and Taylor for the compassionate and professional manner in which they cared for Joe.

A memorial service, celebrating Joe's life will be held on June 30, 2018 at 10:00 am at the Valley View Baptist Church, 1212 S. Main St. in Snowflake, AZ.