R. Craig Williams

R. Craig Williams, 63, beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend, was
welcomed into the ultimate paradise by our Heavenly Father on Tuesday, April 30th 2024 after
courageously, and graciously, fighting the good fight against Nasal Pharangal Carcinoma.

Craig was born on October 8, 1960 in Binghamton, NY to Ronald Allen Williams and Beverly
Dawn Williams (Beagell). Craig was the youngest of three boys, and an older brother to two girls. He attended
elementary, middle school, and high school in Windsor, NY and he also attended high school in
Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi, TX

From very early on in his life, it was evident that Craig was extraordinarily talented, creative,
and hard working, he started working on cars in his fathers garage in Damascus, NY just about
as soon as he could walk, and showed a passion for custom paintwork and fabrication, a
passion that he carried with him throughout his entire life, and he took this incredible talent and
creative mind that he had and started his own business, Craig’s Auto Body.
Craig was always known for his immaculate attention to detail, eagles eye precision, out-of
the-box thinking, ingenuity, and that no matter what it was that he was working on, it was
going to turn out perfect.
From show winning custom hot rods and beautifully restored classics, to even the “simple”
collision jobs he would take on, regardless of what the job was, Craig would put the same
effort and care into all of his work, which earned him a highly respected name and business in
the automotive industry.
In early 1988, at the age of only 27, this respectability Craig had earned himself caught him a
gig working on Winston Cup driver Alan Kulwicki’s crew, he was Alan’s body man, paint guru,
occasional jack man, he had also quickly became a good friend of Alan’s, a friendship that was
tragically shortened, after Alan’s life was sadly taken in a 1993 plane crash. Craig had many
fond memories of his time working with and befriending Alan, memories that he held near and
dear to his heart, memories that he reminisced of frequently and shared with his family and
friends for many years.

A great sense of humor was not lost on Craig, he loved to make people laugh, and he was
good at it. Whether it was a joke he came up with on the fly, a purposely (or accidentally)
mispronounced word, or just generally being a goof ball, if Craig couldn’t make you laugh, no
one could.

Craig was a selfless man, he would give you the shirt off of his back, and the keys to his truck,
if you needed them; whether you needed some food to eat, a paying job. or perhaps a place to
stay, if you came to Craig and Barbie’s house, you wouldn’t be turned away.
He was a proud man, too, but it wasn’t a selfish pride, his pride was in his family, in the
wonderful life he built with his bride Barbie, in the 3 beautiful children they raised, and in the
wonderful grandchildren and great grandchild they had, in his many friends, and in his work.
And when it came to his work, hard work was what he put in, no matter the project or goal, he
put everything he had into everything that he did,
Most recently, Craig had been putting a lot of hard work into refining himself, into becoming the
best version of himself and person that he could be, being a devout man of God, and a man of
honor; a man that we all admired and looked up to, and trust me, we did. Just as he was proud
of us, we were proud of him, as we watched in awe at all of the hardships that he overcame,
and would always come out on the other side even stronger and wiser than each time before.
Craig’s resilience and strength was nothing short of admirable, and even in his darkest hour, his
only concern was making sure that his loved ones were taken care of, and in ensuring us that,
although he wanted nothing more than to have more time with his family and friends here on
earth, he did not want us to worry and be scared, as he knew that he’d be taken into the arms
of the Lord, and ushered through the gates of Heaven, into Paradise, and it would all be alright
in the end.
Quite frankly, there’s so much to tell about Craig; the man he was, the things he accomplished,
the stories he told, the things he had planned for the future.
If I wrote down all the things about Craig that I want to, this obituary would win a record for the
longest obituary ever written. A few novels worth of writing would have to be written to cover it
all, and one day that might just happen.

Craig is survived by his “Bride” and best friend of 48 years, Barbie Williams (Nichols); his eldest
son Joshua and daughter in law Melissa (Stanton), four grandchildren and one great
grandchild; Elijah and his son Liam, Austin, Zachary, and Aubrey; his second oldest son and
special buddy that was always glued to his hip, Adam; his daughter Shelby and son in law Seth
(Howell); his father Ron (Ronnie) and step-mom Judith; four siblings, two sister-in-laws and two
brother-in-laws; Jack and Judith Williams, Brett and Margie Williams, Renee and James
Aldrich, and Ronda and Daniel Krom; as well as many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and
friends.
Craig is predeceased by his mom, Beverly Dawn Williams (Beagell), grandfather Donald Beagell
Sr., grandmother Bernice Beagell (Travis), grandmother Winnifred Williams (Austin), grandfather
Raymond Williams, many aunts, uncles, friends, etc

Funeral services will be Friday, May 17th at Light House Community Church located at 103
Main St, Windsor, NY visiting hours 10:00am-12:00pm, with service starting at 12:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Wilmot Cancer Center at UR, or to
the Light House Community Church, two things Craig cared deeply about.

“Where there’s a Williams, there’s a way.