Marshall “Papa” Dean Williams Sr. died April 11, 2021. He was born on Oct. 22, 1941, to Naaman and Ruth Williams in Vernonia, Oregon. He spent his younger years in Little Hanaford and Olympia, Washington before moving to Oakville in 1999, where he was a resident for 22 years.

He attended Centralia High School and furthered his education with masonry school. On New Year’s Eve 1961 he was married to Virginia Lee Gross in Carson City, Nevada — his wife for almost 60 years.

Marshall loved working his farm; he was passionate about agriculture, his livestock, and he absolutely loved his tractor. He was an animal lover, and a tinkerer who loved to build. He enjoyed Westerns, most notably “Lonesome Dove,” was a cinephile and devoured books. He loved to tell stories and could make friends with anyone and everyone wherever he went. But what he loved most of all was his family and friends.

Marshall is survived by his wife Virginia Williams of Oakville, Washington; two sons: Marshall (Pauline) Dean Williams Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri and Gerald Leon Williams of Olympia, Washington; his daughter Linda (Jose “Beto”) Arlene Ayala of Oakville, Washington; his brother Samuel Williams of Elma, Washington; and nine grandchildren: Jacob, Alexander, Margaret, Krystal, Brennah, Justice, Joseph, Reynaldo and Lorenzo “Bubba.”

The family asks that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Elma FFA.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the family home on Saturday, June 12, at 2 p.m.

Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Washington.