Eric Paul Williams

Eric Paul Williams passed away on Sunday, March 19, 2023, after courageously battling a devastating illness. Eric was born to Midgie Williams Hansen and Jerry Williams, in Vallejo, CA, where he lived his entire life. He attended local schools, played many seasons of Little League baseball and PAL youth soccer. He was also on the varsity Golf team at Hogan High School, where he graduated in 1990. Eric was known to his many friends and family as “E”, “Big E”, or “Ebola”. He will always be remembered for his friendliness and good heart, his great sense of humor, competitive spirit, sharp wit, his often colorful language, and his great love of talking “smack” with his friends. He loved to laugh and was always telling or emailing a joke. He was a huge sports fan, rooting for the Oakland Raiders (before they moved), San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, any NASCAR driver in a Chevy, and especially loved his annual 3-day trips to the NHRA Drag races in Sonoma every summer. He also followed WWF Wrestling, pro Golf, boxing, MMA, college football, and college basketball. He took great pleasure in playing the annual football pools, and loved to place one dollar bets with his closest friends, on March Madness, college bowl games, and NASCAR races. He loved his backyard vegetable garden, growing his prized tomatoes, feeding the birds and squirrels, and listening to reggae, rock, and country music. An accomplished 4 handicap golfer, Eric was first introduced to golf at the age of nine, by his maternal grandfather, Jerry Odell. He loved the game. Eric felt that golf helped build character, confidence, and integrity, and was always grateful for those lessons. He encouraged everyone he cared about, especially kids, to take up the game, for those reasons, too. He honed his skills as a longtime member of Blue Rock Springs Golf Club, and played every chance he got. A fierce competitor, he participated in many golf tournaments over the years. He won the Vallejo City Tournament in the early 2000’s, and was proud of the four Hole-in-ones he shot at Blue Rock. A hard worker, Eric had multiple jobs in his younger days. From stacking and loading firewood at a friend’s woodlot at age 13, to making pizzas at Round Table, to parking Toyotas at the docks in Benicia, to detailing cars at Vallejo Nissan. He worked several years as a crane operator for Pacific Rail Services at Union Pacific Railroad in Richmond, CA, then later at the Port of Oakland, CA. Most recently, Eric worked over 20 years as a Quarry Rock Truck Driver, Foreman, and Trainer at Syar Industries (now Vulcan) in Vallejo, where he was a member of Teamsters Local 315, serving several years as the Shop Steward. He loved people. He would often approach complete strangers, ask how they were doing, introduce himself, crack some jokes, and before you knew it, Eric had made another friend. He will be incredibly missed by all who knew and loved him. Eric was preceded in death by his father, Jerry Williams in 2020, maternal grandparents Leda (Byron) Gates, and Jerry (Joan) Odell, aunts Lonnie Smith and Nanette Roberts,, paternal grandparents Marge and Fred Williams, uncles Doug Williams and James Williams, and aunt Anne Petersen. He is survived by his girlfriend and partner of twenty three years, Diana Pangelina Mamere, Her sons, Jonathan Fryman, Nick Mamere (Alicia), and Nathan Mamere, his mother Midgie Williams Hansen, stepfather Mark Darrel Hansen, sister Deanna Williams, nephews Anthony Smernes and Vincent Ponce, and multiple aunts, uncles, and cousins. A Celebration of Eric’s life will be held at 1 PM on Friday, April 14th at Twin Chapels Mortuary, 1100 Tennessee St., Vallejo.

Eric Paul Williams

March 8, 1972 - March 19, 2023