John Curry Williams was born on October 10, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the first of two children born to the late Betty Mae Williams. Johnny, as he was affectionately called, attended the Pittsburgh public schools, and later attended California State College, which is now California State University. John graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in special education. After he graduated, he was then called “Big John” standing tall at 6ft 7inches, and spent his early years working with mentally and physically handicapped children.

Johnny was one of the founding fathers of the Delta Chi Fraternity Inc. chapter at California State College. A fraternity that was built on its core values of promoting friendship, developing character, advancing justice, and assisting in the acquisition of a sound education.

While working in college, he acquired a passion for food service management. His first job was not in teaching, instead he became a unit manager at the college of Wooster, here in Ohio. He then went on to becoming a district manager for the Marriot that served many colleges and universities, such as Case Western Reserve University, John Carroll University, Oberlin College and many more. He later worked at a local catering company called, All Around Downtown Catering, as a General Manager where he retired from.

Johnny loved to sing with his deep baritone voice, and was a member of the Glee club back in college. He also liked cooking and baking his mother’s favorite chocolate cake. For John, the holidays were for him, a time to connect with families and friends, wearing ugly sweaters at Christmas time, and also to give back to those whom he loved and to those who were in need. He accepted The Lord Jesus Christ later in his life.

John was predeceased by his mother, Betty Mae Williams, and is survived by his brother Edward Williams; sister-in-law Marcia Williams; his aunt, Ruth Williams, wife of the late Bailey Williams; his cousin Richard Williams (Sharon Williams), other cousins and a host of relatives and friends. Johnny was loved and will be missed terribly.