Jonathan Jackson
The Union-Recorder
MILLEDGEVILLE —
Rick and Cameron Williams work side-by-side most days in a business that some don’t like to think about. That’s just fine for the father and son team as their help to others often comes at life’s darkest hours. Since Rick’s father James A. Williams started the business in 1952, the family has grown up in the business.
“Lots of people look at us as a funeral home only,” Cameron said. “We care for the living, too. It’s a rewarding job.”
Rick said through the years people in the community have come to know the family, many times through the loss of loved ones.
“When people come to us, it’s usually at about the lowest points in their lives,” he said. “Having a compassionate and sincere staff with a willingness and dedication really helps them through the loss of a loved one. We have heard people say we are a ‘friend of the family.’”
The Williams family lost their patriarch in 2006 when founder James A. Williams passed away.
As part of the early business, Williams Funeral Home also operated the ambulance service. Rick recalled being out and about as a teen and getting a page that he was needed on a call.
“In the days before pagers and beepers, your whereabouts were always known,” Williams said.
He said he heard from people through the years that credited he and his father with saving their lives through the ambulance service, including a woman who hemorrhaged during labor. Her family had no phone and no car, and the ambulance got her to the hospital in time to save both her life and the life of her baby.
Rick started working with the family business as a teenager often driving the ambulance. The first ambulance the Williamses purchased was a 1959 Cadillac just like the Ghostbusters vehicle from the popular 1980s movie. It was in service until 1978.
The Williams family’s reach expands across central Georgia in many communities. Rick’s sister Brenda owns and operates Williams-White Columns Funeral Home in Gordon while Rick’s son, Spencer, and stepmother, Blanche, own and operate Williams Funeral Home in Barnesville. Williams Funeral Home has a home location in Milledgeville as well as in Eatonton.
As a youngster, Rick often accompanied his father on calls, a tradition that continued with Spencer and Cameron.
“I’m very proud both boys chose to follow in our family footsteps,” Rick said. “It’s a dedication, not for the money, but for the need to reach out and minister. My daughter Amber is also in a profession of helping people. As a nurse, she is ministering in health care.”
Rick said the family tradition stretches beyond business and into core values he hopes to have continued to pass along.
“It’s so rewarding to work with your son everyday and to share with him what I shared with my father over the years,” he said.
“Not many people get an opportunity like that,” Cameron added.
Before James Williams passed away, three generations of Williamses worked side-by-side on funerals.
Spencer Williams became a funeral director in 2000 and Cameron followed earlier this year, though both started working as teens washing cars and transporting flowers.
“It has strengthened us as a family that we all rely on each other,” Rick said.
Cameron said the family bond is strong and has helped as they can all depend on each other for strength and support.
With the Williams Funeral Home and Crematory expansion into Eatonton, other services provided by the business are experiencing growth as well.
In addition to on-site cremation, the family has offered community and cemetery monuments since 1983 and operates Heritage Memorial Park on Log Cabin Road. The perpetual care cemetery has an up-to-date park style setting with landscaping and monuments.
Rick has extensive restorative training for the injured, allowing families more options when it comes to public or private viewings. The business also offers pre-planning services, an option Rick said no-one should pass up.
“It’s not about buying anything,” Rick said. “It’s about making your wishes known. It really takes a big burden off of other family members and can put loves ones’ minds at rest. It keeps the family from wondering and brings comfort to know that they are carrying out a loved one’s wishes. Everything we do comes back to peace of mind.”
Williams Funeral Home in Milledgeville sits on a large tract off North Jefferson Street, and the large parking lot and flat surfaces allows for easy accessibility.
The Rev. Larry Glover started working with the family in 1976.
“Besides being an ordained Baptist minister, Larry has undergone Celebrant training,” Rick said. “That option is good for people who prefer a more personal, anecdotal celebration of life, rather than a traditional funeral.”
Rick said Glover is the only trained Celebrant in Baldwin and surrounding counties, and the non-traditional approach is nothing new.
Last year, Rick kept a promise to a friend who requested that his remains not be carried to the cemetery in any vehicle except for a Ford. Cashing in some favors, Rick found a way for his friend to be taken to the cemetery on the bed of a Ford truck. Just recently, another client requested a horse-drawn covered wagon transport. He also got his wish.
“We’ve done it all and demonstrated we’re adaptive,” Cameron said.
Whether it is a video celebrating or a non-traditional service, the family has kept up with trends and new ideas in funeral services to families.
“We are all constantly striving to improve and better whatever we can,” Cameron said.
“This is a commitment and a way of life,” Rick said. “It’s definitely a ministry of helping people. You’ve got to want to do it and help people.”
