Joseph Haley Williams, age 95, son of Joseph "Willie" Williams and Nanie Smedly Williams, was born, April 24, 1921 in Front Royal, Virginia passed away February 10, 2017 at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.

"Joe", who was a child of "The Great Depression", joined the army in 1936 at the age of 15. A highly decorated veteran of WW II and the Korean war, he received a Battlefield Commission from Gen. George Patton, and was awarded the Bronze Star for Heroism on the battlefield.

Following his retirement as a Lt. Colonel, he attended FSU, then moved to Jacksonville where he embarked on a twenty-five year career in education, initially teaching history at Terry Parker High School. His unusual story-telling ability served him well in this capacity and later on as the author of an historical, non-fiction novel, Captor-Captive, dealing with his experiences while stationed at Landsberg Prison in Germany following the Second World War. He retired from the U.S. Army a Lt. Col. in 1958 and eventually earned an Ed.D. in Education from Nova University.

Joseph was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dorothy Girtman Williams, from Hazelhurst, GA.

He is survived by his son, Joseph H. Williams Jr. and daughter, Linda O'Neal, along with their spouses and grandchildren Haley and Patrick O'Neal.