Larry James Williams, 83, of Ankeny, Iowa passed away on Saturday January 13, 2024.
Larry had a long, brave, hard fought battle with Parkinson's and more recently Leukemia.
He was born January 28, 1940, in New Sharon, Iowa. He graduated from New Sharon High School and completed 2 additional years of education at William Penn College. Larry was drafted into the United States Air Force in 1962 and completed 4 years of service.
Larry married Carolyn Haworth on December 29, 1964. Once he finished with his military career, they moved back to Iowa to start their family. He started work at Fisher Controls (now Emerson) in the summer of 1966 as a machinist and retired from there in 1999. Once retired, Larry and Carolyn moved to Holiday Island, AR to relax and play golf for the next 18 years. They moved back to Iowa (Ankeny) in 2017 to be closer to family.
Larry was a shy, hardworking, great man who cherished his family and friends. He loved watching the Iowa Hawkeyes (both football and basketball), always rooting for them through thick and thin, a die-hard fan to the very end. His other sports 'loves' were trapshooting, hunting, fishing, and golfing.
Larry was a son, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who lived a life full of happiness and love. The 'littles' referred to him as 'grandpa' or 'g-pa'.
Larry is survived by his wife, Carolyn Williams and their two daughters, Julie Doreo and Sherry Strahl (husband Jim); and their grandchildren (and great-grandchildren), Mackenzi Smith (Lainie, Gracie, Warren), Austin Doreo, Aaron Doreo, Jamie Strahl (Jaelynn, Jayceon), and Jacob Strahl.
Larry is also survived by his brother David Williams, his wife Charlotte, and their son Mike.
Larry was preceded in death by his daughter (Jill), mother (Dolly), father (Forrest), and nephew (Jeff).
The family will be holding a Celebration of Life at their family home at a later date (to be determined).
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Larry's memory to the family to decide on at a later date.
