Keith Bates Williams' Obituary
Keith Bates WilliamsOakland, CaliforniaNovember 13, 1941 to June 21, 2010Keith, 68, resident of Oakland, CA, passed from this life on Monday, June 21, 2010 in an Oakland hospital due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Keith was born the second of three boys in the Bronx, NY to Otis Lenzy Williams, Sr. and Ilza Louise Berry Williams on November 13, 1941. He grew up in Mt. Vernon, NY, where he attended the Grimes Elementary School, Washington Junior High School, and A. B. Davis High School. As a child, Keith enjoyed fixing electric sockets, collecting jazz records, and running track. He was involved in both the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America growing up, and served as a member of the local Gladiators. Keith attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he briefly majored in Electrical Engineering before transferring to New York University, where he obtained a degree in Accounting. In 1964, Keith married Bonnie Hamlin, whom he had known since junior high school. Keith then went on to attend Harvard Business School, where he completed the MBA program in 1968. After leaving Harvard, Keith moved back to New York and worked for Pfizer in Accounting for two years. In 1970, Bonnie gave birth to their only child, Christopher. After leaving Pfizer, Keith went on to start a series restaurant franchise operations with two friends from business school. He then worked for Avon in finance and accounting until 1978, when he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to start a long career with Levi Strauss. In 1989, Keith married Renee Proctor, and added a daughter and son to the family: Quineen and Jarron. In 1995 Keith and Renee moved to Brussels, Belgium for Keith to assume the role of International Treasurer for Levis Strauss. While in Brussels, he and Renee travelled extensively to Paris and avidly collected artwork throughout Europe. In 1999, Keith and Renee returned to Oakland, CA, and he eventually retired from Levi Straus in 2000 after 21 years of service.Throughout his life, Keith enjoyed music, travelling and fine cuisine, whether prepared at home in his own kitchen or at the various restaurants he frequented. As an avid art collector, Keith amassed a collection of unique paintings, posters, African-American postcards, sheet music, tobacco jars, and just about everything else you could imagine. Keith is survived by his wife Renee Williams (Oakland, CA); son and daughter-in-law Christopher Williams and Michelle Gilliam (Cary, NC); granddaughter Jordan Williams (Cary, NC); daughter Quineen Shelton (Oakland, CA); son Jarron Shelton (Berkeley, CA); brother Barry Lawson Williams (Oakland, CA); former wife Bonnie Williams (Tarrytown, NY); nephew Barry Chandler Williams (Santa Monica, CA); nephew and niece-in-law Jaime and BÃ?¤rÃ? Williams (Oakland, CA); nephew Andrew Williams (Oakland, CA); cousin Herbert Morris (Philadelphia, PA), cousin Bernard Morris (Parker, CO); cousin Roger Morris (Oak Bluffs, MA); and many other family and friends.Keith is predeceased by his father Otis Lenzy Williams, Sr.; mother Ilza Louise Berry Williams; and brother Otis Lenzy Williams, Jr.A service will be held on June 27, 2010 at 3:00 PM at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, CA. Reverend Edward Bell will officiate. Interment will be at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, CA.
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