Robert Lee “Bob” McWilliams, age 95, of Tuscumbia, died Monday, September 3, 2018. His visitation will be Thursday, September 6, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at Morrison Funeral Home, Tuscumbia. The funeral service will be Friday, at 2:00, at Red Rock Church of Christ, and the body will be placed in the church at 1:00. David Conley and Anthony Briggs will officiate the service. Interment will be in Barton Cemetery.
Mr. McWilliams was a wonderful husband, dad, and granddaddy, who lived the example of a hard worker, a faithful husband, and a true Christian man. Known as a milkman all his life, Mr. McWilliams was born (July 25, 1923) and reared on the dairy farm of his parents, Andy Lee and Ellen Foster McWilliams, in Red Rock. Work day on the dairy farm began at 2:30 a.m. With his parents and seven siblings, he milked cows twice a day and using trucks filled with blocks of ice he delivered raw milk from ten gallon cans and years later delivered pasteurized milk in bottles. Deliveries were made to homes and stores twice a day, seven days a week, by the McWilliams Pure Milk Company until the family business closed in 1958. He worked for Meadow Gold, Streit, and Pet dairies using a refrigerated truck until his retirement. He worked with Bass’s Big Star Grocery and L&L Propane Gas in Tuscumbia.
Mr. McWilliams was a member of the Red Rock Church of Christ, where he taught Sunday School many years and also served as an elder. He served on the Colbert County Board of Education for twenty years. He was very proud that while serving on the Board, many schools in the system received initial accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Mr. McWilliams served as a member and officer of the Cherokee PTA. He served as a member and officer of the Tuscumbia Lions Club, and was recognized for dedicated humanitarian service as a Melvin Jones Fellow.
He loved to travel, but always returned home thinking that the Shoals area was the best. Mr. McWilliams loved to read and study books about United States history and geography. Local history books were also a favorite. He was very knowledgeable of Colbert, Lauderdale, and Franklin County’s history and sites of interest. He shared many stories with family and friends.
Of all of his accomplishments and activities, Mr. McWilliams enjoyed his family the most. He was devoted to Alma always, but this was especially evident in his care for her as they grew older. He enjoyed family trips to the lake, big family dinners, family reunions, and ensuring that all was well with the family. Mr. McWilliams’s idea of the perfect gift to give was a Whitman’s sampler. He also freely shared his homemade pear preserves and apple butter. There can be no doubt, he loved his family, his church, his community, and his country, and will be greatly missed by all.
Survivors include his sons, Dale (Micki) McWilliams and Chris (Elizabeth) McWilliams; daughter, Patricia (Howard) Daniel; brothers, George and Walter McWilliams; sister, Martha McWilliams Ladd; grandchildren, Bryan (Theresa) McWilliams, Julie (Steve) Walton, Jennifer (Jim) Shull, Allison (Chris) Roberts, and Amanda (Matt) Parker; great grandchildren, Ben, Tucker, Maggie, Alexandra, Ethan, Emilee, and Ava; special niece, Charlotte Rutland Bryant; and a large extended family.
Mr. McWilliams is predeceased by his loving wife of seventy-six years, Alma Rutland McWilliams. They were high school sweethearts, married immediately after graduation, moved into a tenant house on the dairy farm, and lived in that house until her death in 2017. Others predeceasing him were his parents, Andy and Ellen McWilliams; brothers, Hubert, Charles, and William McWilliams; and sister, Mary Jo McWilliams Carter.
Pallbearers will be grandsons, Bryan McWilliams, Steve Walton, Jim Shull, Chris Roberts, Matt Parker, and great grandsons, Ben Walton, Ethan Roberts, and Tucker McWilliams.
Special thanks and appreciation go to Drs. Andre Taylor, Jeremy Thompson, Bradley Cavender, Todd Broome, Davita Dialysis (Beth, Jean, and Cindy), Kindred Health, Keller Hospital (third floor), and Cottage of the Shoals (rehab unit).
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Red Rock Church of Christ (1845 Red Rock Road, Tuscumbia, AL 35674), Barton Cemetery Fund (P.O. Box 506, Cherokee, AL 35616), Tuscumbia Lions Club, American Heart Association, National Kidney Foundation, or charity of choice.
