Robert Howard Williams, 89, lifelong resident of Columbia, passed from this life to heaven on October 25, 2023, at his home in Pineville, Louisiana. Services will be held at Hathorn Funeral Home at 3:30 pm on Sunday, October 29, with visitation the same day from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm. Pastor Roger Corley will officiate the service, with special music provided by pianist Bradley Broughton.

Robert (Howard) was born in War, West Virginia, to the Reverend G.G. and Mamie Williams on March 29, 1934. He graduated from Meadville High School (MS) in 1952, before going on to serve in the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957. Three years later, he received his associate degree from Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was there that he met and fell in love with his wife of 53 years, the late Lynda Williams. Howard and Lynda raised their family of four children in Morgantown and later Columbia, where Howard served as the sole rural route mail carrier for the United States Postal Service in Kokomo for over 30 years.

Dubbed the "World's Friendliest Mailman" by many on his route, Howard always took the time to wave hello, share a story, and crack a joke.

(And anyone who knew him knew he possessed a seemingly endless supply of jokes.) More than anything, however, Howard was a man of deep faith.

He loved studying and meditating on Scripture, and by the time he reached his later years he had filled over 500 notebooks with his thoughts and writings on God's word. Over the course of his life, Howard taught Bible studies and classes at numerous area churches, but he didn't need to be in a church building to share his faith. He didn't necessarily even need to talk to you about God. And that was because to know him was to know the love of God. He was gentle, kind, and long-suffering, and he never failed to meet you where you were, no matter how low you might have fallen. It didn't matter what you were going through or how many bad decisions you might have made, his response was always the same: a warm embrace and a profound word of encouragement. And whether you ran into each other at the gas station or sat together to enjoy a biscuit and gravy at Hardee's, you never left without gaining some of his wisdom and insight from decades of studying Scripture.

Over the past few years, Howard lived in Pineville, Louisiana, near his daughter, after his wife Lynda passed away. There he continued his lifelong mission of loving people and encouraging everyone he encountered. He truly never met a stranger; he could draw in anyone with a wave and a smile. You might be walking down the produce aisle at Sam's one minute, then you were laughing at one of his jokes, and before you knew it you were standing next to the cantaloupes discussing Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors with a man you just met. In an instant he could flip the switch from witty punchline to insightful commentary on God's word. That's just who he was.

In his 89 years on earth, Howard Williams was a loving husband, a dear friend to many, a daddy of four, a Papaw of 11, and a Great-Papaw to six. He was a deep thinker, a prolific writer, an eager teacher, and above all a steadfast encourager. And to everyone he encountered along the way, he was a true testament to the unfailing love of Jesus.

He was proceeded in death by his wife of 53 years, Lynda Tharp Williams; his father, Rev. G.G. Williams; mother, Mamie Williams; brothers Davis Williams, Flavous Williams, Royce Williams, Darius Williams, and sister, June Clark.

He is survived by his children, Joy (David) Broughton of Inman, SC; Darla (Roger) Corley of Pineville, LA; Steven (Carol) Williams of Baton Rouge, LA; and Perry (Lovenia) Williams of Zachary, LA. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren, Wesley Broughton, Bradley Broughton, Jordan (Zack) Boone, Jonathan (McKalynne) Broughton, Elizabeth Broughton; Hunter (Heather) Corley, Logan (Victoria) Corley, Sarah (Trey) Forsythe; Grant Williams; Emily (Gabe) Genre and Christopher Williams; six great-grandchildren, Lennox Corley, Lane Corley, Ella Corley; Nora Corley; Naomi Genre; and Olivia Boone; sister, Maxine Edwards of Longview, TX, and brother, Charles Williams of Morgantown, MS.

Pallbearers will be Wesley Broughton, Hunter Corley, Logan Corley, Grant Williams, Jonathan Broughton, and Christopher Williams.

Hathorn Funeral Home in Columbia is in charge of the arrangements. Friends and family can sign an online guest register book at www.hathornfuneralhome.com.