James Charles Benjamin Williams, commonly known as “Charlie,” passed away Feb. 4. His loving and devoted wife, Ruth, all of their children, grandson, PJ, and daughter in-law, Cindy, were bedside at this eternal moment.

Charlie was born Feb. 23, 1935, to Arthur and Audrey Williams in Paragould, Ark. Charlie will be remembered for his passion for family, and zeal to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. He was continually on a mission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who would listen, and the captive audience he often held. He had no shame in this regard. Nobody was a stranger to Charlie, if he was given a little conversation time. He genuinely cared about people, often saying, “The most important thing to God is the redemption of man,” or his goodbye of, “ See you here, there, or in the air!” Another favorite line to encourage others was, “To glorify God, enjoy his presence, and mix faith with the Word.” His nuggets of wisdom were often spoken to his family, friends, and potential friends.

Charlie was always social to the extreme and loved people through every conversation he held.  In his younger years, he always had different people over to his house to play music with his family. He always played the guitar and sang in church, and would often travel with his family to outreaches, such as the Burns nursing home and other areas to bless others with music and the gospel.

James Charles Benjamin Williams is survived by his wife, Ruth Williams of Burns; children, Debbie Hurd of LaGrande, Rhonda Gunderson of Newberg, James Williams of Boise, Idaho, Charlene Cate of Burns, and Ralph Williams of Canby; brothers, Kenny Williams and Walter Williams; sisters, Anne Andre and Judy Townsend; 18 grandchildren; and 16 great-grand children.

A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m.  April 9, 2016, at the Faith Baptist Church in Burns.

In lieu of flowers, a fund has been set up at US Bank for final expenses.