Pete Williams

Pete Williams was born June 29, 1945, to Harper and Lillie Williams in El Dorado, Arkansas; he departed this life on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Pete confessed his belief in Christ at an early age and united with Salem Baptist Church in Salem, Arkansas. Pete was a deacon at St. James Baptist Church of El Dorado and El Bethel Baptist Church of Three Creeks, Arkansas, before finally joining Douglas Chapel Baptist Church in El Dorado, Arkansas.

Pete married the love of his life, Linda Williams, on April 17, 1971. To this union were born three children: Barry Jerome, Laquita Gail, and Veronica Lynn.

Pete was a proud member of the class of 1963 at Washington High School in El Dorado, Arkansas. He attended college at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical, and Normal College (Arkansas AM&N, currently the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), where he studied auto mechanics. Pete taught auto mechanics at Oil Belt Vocational Technical School before working for Amercable and then finally as the owner and operator of the Williams Trucking Company.

Pete had an incredibly kind heart and was a firm believer in public service. With his wife, he was a South Arkansas African American Historical Society member and a tireless volunteer at the Nile and Marzel Smith Museum of African American History. He also volunteered with the American Red Cross.

Pete is preceded in death by his parents Harper and Lillie Williams, his wife, Linda Williams, his daughter Laquita Gail, and his son Barry Jerome.

He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters Veronica Williams and Sylvia Wynn of Little Rock, his brothers Sampson (Brenda) Williams of San Francisco, California, Jimmy (Joanne) Reed of El Dorado, Arkansas, and Mark (Maxine) Reed of Navarre, Florida; also his sisters Sylvia Ellis of Houston, Texas, Myrtis Rodgers of Malvern, Arkansas, Jacqueline Rhodes and Pamela Christian of Little Rock, Arkansas; his grandchildren Alicia, Nadia, Adrian, and Andrew; and his great-grandchildren Ryan, Jayron, Victoria, Zelda, and Jermani.