Mr. Rex Stuart Williams, 77

FAYETTEVILLE Rex Stuart Williams, age 77, died peacefully of natural causes, on Monday, September 21, 2015, at his home in Fayetteville, NC. He was predeceased by his parents, Geneva Ruth Bullard Williams and Joseph Osborne Williams, of the Roseboro, NC area, and a paternal half-brother, Carlton Williams. Rex was retired from the U.S. Postal Service where he worked his entire career in the Fayetteville Post Office. A bachelor for his whole life, he is survived by a paternal half-brother, Gene Williams, numerous maternal first cousins, and his very special friend and companion, Patricia Johnson of Fayetteville. At family reunions, and other informal get-togethers, Rex never called attention to himself, always preferring to remain on the periphery of conversations. But his wry wit and dry humor quickly drew him into the center of things. He was a veritable encyclopedia of family lore and was able to recall names, dates, and minute detail of long-gone events. It was typical of him to have his cousins, aunts, and uncles almost collapsing in laughter at the telling of some anecdote from his youth, spent on his grandfather’s farm in the Hayne community of Sampson County. The Biblical admonition to visit the sick and imprisoned, care for the elderly, and love one’s fellow man as oneself was personified in Rex’s life. He took care of his mother in her last years. He faithfully visited his elderly aunts and uncles as long as they lived, sometimes as often as two or three times a week, frequently taking them to doctors’ appointments or grocery shopping excursions. More recently, he became a bulwark of strength and comfort to a cousin who was experiencing serious medical difficulties. He truly became a “caretaker” to various members of his family, and his presence will be sorely missed. But his memory will provide much comfort and many happy stories for his survivors and friends to relate in years to come. The family invites friends, neighbors, and other kinfolk to a celebration of Rex’s life, to be held at Butler Funeral Home, 401 W. Roseboro Street, Roseboro, NC, at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 26, 2015. Visitation will be from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm on the same date at the same location. Humorous stories, happy memories, and other manifestations of this truly remarkable life are encouraged. Services by Butler Funeral Home, 401 W. Roseboro Street, Roseboro.