Former Graham County Commissioner and longtime member of the Graham County Rescue Squad, Raymond Williams, passed away May 7.
West Fort Hill – An iconic presence in Graham County recently passed away.
Former County Manager and longtime County Commissioner Raymond Williams died on May 7. Williams was heavily involved in the community and was known to many as “Big Bird.” In addition to his civic responsibilities. Williams was also heavily involved in firefighting and EMS locally, serving 53 on the Graham County Rescue Squad.
Commissioner Dale Wiggins was a close friend of Williams, and served alongside him as as a commissioner.
“I’ve known Raymond Williams since childhood,” Wiggins said. “He was a gentle giant of a man who deeply loved his family, and he truly loved his county and its people. He had a special place in his heart for children and the elderly and worked tirelessly as a commissioner on their behalf. He was a good friend, and he will be missed.
“(I’m) thankful for many good memories of my time with him.”
County Clerk Kim Crisp recounted a story from her time working for the county during Williams’ tenure as county manager when the county was short on funds.
“Back then, the county didn’t have hardly any money, and he was the county manager then, and he came in with a box of hats,” Crisp said. “He had ordered about $1,400 worth of hats and we were having trouble even making payroll that day.
“He was so proud of those hats and he gave them out to people in the county.”
Crisp also discussed his role on the fire department and rescue squad.
“Just seeing his truck pull through town will be missed,” Crisp said. “I’ll miss seeing him pulling up and hearing ‘Hey sis, come here a minute.’”
Finance Officer and former County Manager Becky Garland spoke of Williams’ deep institutional knowledge of the county.
“He always could give us the history on about any issue that came up that had predated us,” Garland said. “I always missed having him on the board when he wasn’t able to be on the board. I always enjoyed when he would come by the office and he always had some funny story to tell.”
Garland also remembered Williams’ support of her son, who was born with a disability.
“He always wanted to know how he was doing and I just counted him as a good friend,” Garland said. “I’m going to miss him a lot. I’ve been really sad this week.
“I’m very thankful for all the stuff he taught me when I was finance officer and later, county manager.”
With emotion in her voice, Garland remembered talking with Williams at an outdoor event prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He wanted to know all the things going on with the county,” Garland said. “He gave me a pat on the back and told me I was doing a good job.”