Kermit Louis Williams was born January 15, 1932, in Hemphill, Texas. He was the third of four children born to his parents, Johnny H. Williams and Hessie Miller Williams. As a child of The Great Depression, he and his family moved frequently around Sabine County, sharing homes and work with extended family along the way.
He began his education in a one-room schoolhouse in Six Mile, Texas, followed by the Rosevine School between Hemphill and San Augustine, Texas. He attended junior high in Brookeland, Texas after his family moved there in 1944, continuing his education at Edison Junior High in Houston, Texas following the family move to Houston in 1946. He graduated from Milby High School in 1950.
Kermit joined the United States Navy Reserves in January 1951, after the start of the Korean War. He served in active duty in the U.S. Navy until his honorable discharge and return to reserve duty in 1955. He first enrolled at the University of Houston in 1952, graduating in 1959 with two Bachelor of Science degrees (Math and Electrical Engineering). He spent most of his professional career with Houston Lighting and Power Company, retiring after 31 years in April 1992.
He married Anita Louise Jaynes June 21, 1958, and they remained married until 1975. Throughout his life, his hobbies included golf, travel, skiing and Jeeping the mountains of Colorado and kayaking, but he truly enjoyed supporting and spending time with his daughters, grandson, parents, siblings, great grandchildren and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and other extended family.
Kermit is preceded in death by his parents, J.H. Williams and Hessie Williams, siblings Mildred McClelland (and brother-in-law E.E. “Babe” McClelland), Pauline Gilbert (and brother-in-law Gerald Gilbert) and Randle Williams (and sister-in-law Deloris Williams), and nieces Joyce Tillery and Catherine McClelland Hopkins.
He is survived by his daughters Karen Jaynes Williams and LeAnn Vaughn; grandson William Raymond Vaughn and wife Katherine Elizabeth Vaughn; great grandchildren Kingston Christopher Vickers, Indie Elizabeth Vickers, Jackson Reef Vickers, and Brazos Belle Vaughn; nephews Ennis Earl “Mack” McClelland (and wife, Freda), Johnnie Hubert “Pat” McClelland, Danny Gilbert, Tommy Gilbert (and wife, Brenda), Ronnie Gilbert, Jerry Gilbert (and wife, Tammy) and Bobby Gilbert (and wife, Bobbie); nieces Connie Treat, Cindy Langdon (and husband, Dale) and Sharon Heikkenen, and many great nieces and nephews, and other extended family and friends.
Kermit will be remembered and celebrated at a visitation gathering on Monday, January 2, 2023, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77079. A funeral service will immediately follow at 5:00 pm. Burial will be on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 1:00 pm at Brookeland Cemetery, 505 CR 212, Brookeland, Texas 75931.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialoaksfunerals.com for the Williams family.
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