Bruce L. Williams

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Bruce Williams after a brief illness, on Saturday, October 21st, 2017, at the age of 79 years. Bruce will be lovingly remembered by his housemates: Sam 'Ricky', Sandra, Calvin, Dawn, Ariana and Madison Young of Lancaster, PA and his younger sister, Martha A. Rickman of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bruce was predeceased by his older brother, Don Williams of Casper, Wyoming in 2001. A funeral service in memory of Bruce will be held on Friday, October 27, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. at Groff Funeral Home, 528 W. Orange St., Lancaster, PA. Interment will follow later on Monday at Fort Indiantown Gap. Bruce was born February 13, 1938 in a cabin in the woods in Michigan. After being raised on several farms there, the family moved to Tallahassee, Florida when Bruce was a teenager. Bruce and his siblings joined the 4-H. After graduating from high school, Bruce joined and served in the Navy for 4 years. He was a cook. He served between the Korean and Vietnam wars. After he left the Navy, he took a standard accounting course and in 1962 became a staff accountant with a CPA firm in Ashland, Kentucky. After finishing 3 years at Eastern Kentucky University studying accounting, Bruce was called home to Daytona Beach, Florida as his father was terminally ill. Bruce's father died February 10, 1970. In August, 1975, Bruce and his mother moved to the Great Northwest, Port Angeles, Washington, to care for "Grammy Williams" who suffered a stroke. Bruce worked there as a bookkeeper until 1988. He also worked as a custodian at Park City Mall until retiring in April, 2000. Earlier in 1980, after 10 years of hearing the gospel, Bruce became a Christian. He said it was "the best thing I ever did". Bruce then transferred his college credits to Lancaster Bible College. He entered as a Junior and graduated May 11, 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Bible at the age of 53. He attended Central Baptist Church, New Life Baptist Church and South Christian Street Mennonite Church / Crossroads Mennonite Church. He served in several church ministries, including a missions committee. Bruce served faithfully on the local BCM committee and was the secretary. Additionally, he taught the living and learning class at Trinity Lutheran. Bruce was never married and had no children, but he befriended Sam 'Ricky' Young and treated him like he was his own son. Bruce enjoyed going "down country" shopping with friends. He liked to listen to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and Bill Gaither while reading his Bible, sitting at his desk in the morning. He enjoyed cooking, especially the big Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for the family. His favorite Psalm was Psalm 139. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. -NIV

Bruce L. Williams

October 21, 2017