- Lonnie Lee Williams, 76, of New Cumberland, West Virginia, passed away at Wyngate Senior Living Community on May 23, 2024, with his wife by his side. Lonnie was born on December 16, 1947, in Littleton, West Virginia. He was the son of Raymond B. Williams, and Katherine E. (Hartley) Williams.Lonnie graduated from Weir High School in Weirton, West Virginia in 1966. He was a member of the Weir High Band. After graduation, he went one night to a dance behind the Millsop Community Center. Little did he know that he was about to meet his future wife. They were blessed with 54 years of marriage.Prior to getting married, Lonnie was enlisted in the United States Army serving in Okinawa during the Vietnam Era. Lonnie was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Sharpshooter Badge during his military service. He was one of the soldiers who patched phone calls from families in the United States to Vietnam.He retired in 2016 from Arcelor Mittal Steel Corporation with 46 years of service as a Coil Hauler in the Strip.Lonnie loved to work on just about anything. He built his own home doing everything but the plaster with the help of his father who taught him to build to perfection. Lonnie always dreamed about flying a plane, so he took lessons at Herron Airport in New Cumberland West Virginia. His instructor, John Galicic, told him if you can fly in and out of Herron Airport, you can fly anywhere. Lonnie was so proud of that accomplishment in his life that he bought his own airplane in 1988. Besides flying, Lonnie loved to fish, hunt, and being outdoors. He felt at home when he was surrounded by the woods God created for us all. He loved to travel and finally got to Alaska in August 2022. Earlier on in his marriage, Lonnie had a Honda motorcycle and a Harley Davidson. He loved that Harley so much that it was our coffee table for 5 years. Needless to say, it was definitely a conversation piece.Lonnie’s other love was for the Cleveland Browns, so you can imagine what Sunday’s during pro-football season were like with his wife, being a die-hard Pittsburgh Steeler fan. So, he will be sent off in true fashion with his Cleveland Brown’s blanket and shirt. Just maybe, while he is in heaven, his prayers will finally be answered, and those Browns will finally win a Super Bowl.And, of course, I have to mention, his beloved cats, Q’Tip and Miss Miss. Miss Miss laid on his couch the other day where his pillow was for the very first time. He loved his cats and all the critters we had over our many years of marriage.A special shout out to Lonnie’s hunting buddy, Mike Schreiner, and his meal breakfast with his buddies, especially Norm Bogard.Lonnie was preceded in death by both of his parents, a special Aunt Lucille, and his grandparents.His brother-in-law Raymond Adams and wife Clara, sister-in-law Geraldine Abdi and husband William, and brother-in-law Richard E. Howell, and many aunts and uncles.Lonnie leaves behind his wife, Burla (Miller) Williams, his special nephew Raymond E. Howell, who was like a son to him and his wife Sherry and son David. He leaves his brother, John E. (Cheryl) Williams, of Andrew Iowa, and his son Raymond Williams and family and daughter, Desiree Cavanagh and family, and a sister, Bonnie Angel (Robert) Tokar of Moundsville, West Virginia, and sister-in-law, Ginny Howell of Mingo Junction, Ohio, and many nieces and nephews.I wish to thank the many relatives, friends, and neighbors who visited and sat with Lonnie during his final journey. A special thank-you to my sister, Ginny Howell, and my niece, Carolyn Wroten.And now for Wyngate, I fought so hard to bring Lonnie home. I wanted him with me to the very end but it was not meant to be so I could never have found a more caring and loving group of caretakers than Wyngate in Weirton, West Virgina. Especially you, Loretta. May God always bless you for your love and kindness to Lonnie and myself.Friends and family will be received on Tuesday, May 28th, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Nixon Funeral Home, 900 Ridge Avenue, New Cumberland, West Virgina. On Wednesday, May 29th, friends and family will be received at Nixon Funeral from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral services at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Sam Davis officiating. Interment will follow at the New Cumberland Cemetery. After the services at the cemetery, family and friends are welcomed at Harmony Methodist Church, 2119 Commercial Ave. in Mingo Junction for a luncheon.
OBITUARY: LONNIE WILLIAMS
