Laymon Miller Williams (Groundhog), 83, of Newport, took his final at-bat, rounded third base and headed to his heavenly home surrounded by his loving wife, Jean, four children, and their families on May 23, 2022.
Born at Mountain Lake on Nov. 26, 1938, he was the son of the late Frank Elliston Williams and Maggie Collins Williams.
Laymon was preceded in death by his parents and nine siblings. His one surviving sister, Shirley Hazelwood, resides in Blue Ridge, Va.
Laymon is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lura Jean Dowdy Williams; daughters Becky Shaver of Christiansburg, and Ann Rader (Joel) of Newport; and sons Miller Williams (Jane) of Blacksburg and Michael Williams (Melissa) of Pembroke.
He was Paw Paw to eight grandchildren: Kellie Shaver, Whittney Shaver, Amanda Rader Meister (Ben), Josh Rader (Shelby), James Whitaker, Rachel Whitaker Shrader (Kaleb), Morgan Williams and Madison Williams; and three great-grandchildren: Megan Shaver, Emmalyn Meister, and Cameron Meister.
A special thank you goes to his youngest granddaughter, Madison, for being by his side during his last inning. Her Paw Paw will be proud of our soon-to-be nurse.
Laymon worked at Corning for 19 years and Virginia Tech Food Services while simultaneously tending to the Dowdy family farm. He loved NASCAR and baseball, especially the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was his kids’ and grandchildrens’ number one fan while they were on the field.
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, May 29, 2022, at Newport Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church at 3 p.m. The family will receive friends after the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Newport Sports c/o Newport Ruritan Club PO Box 43 Newport, VA 24128.
