Cecil H. Williams' Obituary
Cecil H. Williams, 90, of Broken Arrow, died on Thursday, March 27, 2014. He was born on June 9, 1923, in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, the son of David and Mary Jane Williams. Cecil Williams was drafted into service in US Army Air Corp about May 1943. After completing basic training, he was stationed near Spokane, Washington. He was assigned to Company A, of the 1901st Army Aviation Engineer Battalion. About April, 1945 his unit was sent to fight in the Battle of Okinawa. They were shipped by Navy Landing Ship (LST) from Seattle, Washington, and Cecil spent 43 days at sea in the Pacific Ocean en route to Okinawa. Arriving at Okinawa shortly after the main assault on the island began, the LST off-loaded the men and equipment at Naha, where the ship was struck by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft during off-loading. The ship eventually sank a few miles out to sea. Cecil’s unit fought their way up to the high ground north of Naha where they constructed the Kadena Airbase for the Army Air Corp to use as a base for fighters and bombers to strike mainland Japan. After the Japanese surrendered, the 1901st was reassigned to Korea and Cecil accompanied his unit. At the end of 1945, Cecil was reassigned to the United States and discharged from service as a Staff Sergeant. On April 4, 1941, he married Dorothy Alene Bell in Coweta, Oklahoma. Cecil and Dorothy started square dancing in 1951. After a couple of years, Cecil began to call square dances and eventually became one of the top rated callers in Northeast Oklahoma. He called square dances throughout the United States and made many trips to England and Scotland to call square dances there. He called for many different square dance clubs throughout northeastern Oklahoma for 60 years and was widely known, loved, and respected for his abilities as a caller. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Williams, children, Phyllis Mashburn, of Broken Arrow, Linda Sue Fether Gill, of Rogers, Arkansas, and Billy Eugene Williams, of Durant, Oklahoma, grandchildren, Corky Mashburn, Larry Mashburn, Angela Mashburn, Michael Williams, Falena “Michelle” Williams, Kenny Stevens, Michael Cossairt, and Belinda Shell, eleven great grandchildren, five great-great grandchildren, siblings, Guymon Williams, and his wife, Rebecca, Roger Williams, and his wife, Emma Jean, Ronnie Williams, and his wife, Rosalee, Rowdy Williams, and his wife, Linda, Myrna Brown, and her husband, Lynval, and countless other members of his close knit family. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant daughter, Jackie, siblings, Rose Shirley, Dorothy Sutton, Melvin Williams, and Pat Dooley, and great-granddaughter, Lesia Marie Mashburn. Memorial donations may be made in Cecil’s name to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
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