Rodney Ernest Williams Sr.

Rodney Ernest Williams, age 82, of Mechanicsville, Virginia passed away on Monday, May 13, 2024. Rodney was born on August 26th, 1941 to T.C. Williams and Eunice Gaulding Williams in Richmond, VA. After graduating from Highland Springs High School in 1959, where he proudly started the chess club and played football under Hall of Fame coach Al Rinaldi, he attended Hampden-Sydney College. While in college he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society, nominated as a Rhodes Scholarship candidate, and was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. Rodney went on to graduate summa cum laude in 1963 as class valedictorian before attending the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating there in 1966. After law school he served for the Virginia Army National Guard and began a legal career which spanned 50 years, during which he practiced law with unwavering professionalism and integrity. In his "retirement" years, he owned and managed Ma & Pa's Diner, a beloved local establishment in Sandston. He was a member of New Bridge Baptist Church, the Highland Springs Business and Professional Association, the Patrick Henry Society (H-SC), and the Virginia State Bar. Above all, Rodney cherished his family. He was a devoted husband to his wife of 58 years and a loving father to his three children. His six grandchildren brought him immense joy, and he treasured the companionship of his menagerie of pets throughout the years. His beloved dog, Khloe, comforted him in his final years. Rodney is survived by his wife, Lillian Perkins Williams of Mechanicsville, Va; children, Natalie Williams Trost (Randall T., Sr.) of Lynchburg, Va, Rodney E. Williams, Jr. (Jennifer) of Richmond, Va, and Catherine Blair Williams of Mechanicsville, Va; grandchildren, Randy, Virginia, Ella, Olivia, Liam, and Madelyn; sister, Doris Williams Campbell of Leesburg, Va; his wife’s dear sister, Charlotte Perkins Southerland (Keith), and his two nieces, Deborah Campbell Welsh and Valerie Williams Garrett. Rodney was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Curtis Williams, Sr., his mother, Eunice Gaulding Williams, brother, T.C. Williams, Jr. and his nephew, Tommy Williams. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at Woody Funeral Home, 9271 Shady Grove Rd., Mechanicsville, Va 23116. A funeral service will be held at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at Woody funeral home with burial to follow at Washington Memorial Park, 6217 Memorial Dr., Sandston, Va 23150.