Gerald Wayne Williamson, born March 23, 1950, in Montgomery County, Texas, was the last of his 13 siblings to leave this earth. Wayne passed away peacefully on October 15, 2026, at the age of 76, in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was living with his daughter Brandy. He passed away after complications with lung problems.
The son of Marvin Cuthrel Williamson and Lois Russel, he was the exact middle child in his family and one of a set of twins. As a child, he hunted and fished to put food on the family table, and he left school at a young age to work and help support his family. In spite of these challenges, he wanted a better life for himself, and he built one through hard work. He was a fighter, both literally and figuratively. As a young man, he tried to join the military but was turned away because of a metal plate in his shoulder. He threw himself into the boxing ring instead, where he had a short stint as a Golden Gloves champion. After meeting and marrying his young wife, Cynthia, and starting a family, he poured all of that energy into work, often holding two or three jobs at a time to provide for his family. Despite his lack of formal education or a privileged upbringing, his children never lacked for good food on the table or gifts at Christmas and birthdays.
He eventually worked his way up to head dispatcher at Saia Motor Freight, where he worked for over 20 years and wrote manuals the company still uses today. Later, he spent many years as a top salesman for Cavco Homes. He took pride in his work and loved on people in whatever he did.
Everyone who knew Wayne loved him. He tried to make light of every situation with his positive attitude and goofy sense of humor, no matter what life threw at him, and life threw a lot at him. He would be the first to tell you that he made a lot of mistakes along the way. He battled addiction on and off throughout his life, and there were times when he feared it might win. But Wayne was a fighter, and he never gave up. He failed many times, but he got up more times than he fell down. As he grew older, he took those struggles to his Creator for help. In the last 10 years of his life, he drew close to God and found peace and comfort there.
He will be remembered most by his daughters for his unconditional love and constant support. He was always their greatest cheerleader. His grandchildren will remember him for his tall tales and crazy stories. They had to be told at a young age not to believe ANY of the crazy things that came out of their Pawpaw’s mouth, because if hewas talking, he was lying. His favorite thing was to trick them into believing utternonsense and to embarrass them in public, and they adored every minute of it.Wayne is survived by his daughters, Tracey Clark and Brandy Warren; his son-in-law, Eric Warren; and his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He will be so incrediblymissed by his family and friends.
In keeping with his wishes, there will be no public viewing or funeral. Waynewanted his family and friends to remember him as he was in life. He will be cremated,and his immediate family will gather privately to honor his life. In lieu of flowers, thefamily asks that donations be made to the Salvation Army.
Berryhill Funeral Home assisted the family.
