Lorenzo Williams

Bro. Lorenzo Williams, OMI, 85, died on May 1, 2015, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Residence in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, after a period of declining health. He was born in the coal mining town of Barrackville, West Virginia, on May 21, 1929, a son of the late Lorenzo and Grace (Randolph) Williams. He was also predeceased by two brothers, James and Clarence Williams and two sisters, Jeanetta Johnson and Grace Johnson.
Bro. Williams was proud to have been valedictorian of his high school graduating class. He was a sturdy young man who enjoyed the sport of boxing during his youth. When he felt a calling to religious life, he searched for a congregation to join and finally found the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He entered St. Joseph's Novitiate for Brothers in Godfrey, Illinois, on March 16, 1950. He professed his first vows as a Brother Oblate on February 17, 1951, in Godfrey where he also professed his perpetual vows on February 17, 1957.
One of his earliest assignments was working with Rev. John Weissler, OMI, at the Oblate printing press in Carthage, Missouri, at Our Lady of the Ozarks College. He was eventually assigned to the former Central United States Province headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he did lawn work, snow removal and other property upkeep. During his years as a Missionary Oblate, he also served in many other capacities ranging from x-ray technician to religion teacher.
Bro. Williams shared a birth date with St. Eugene deMazenod, founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was a proud member of the Knights of St. Peter Claver, which he joined in St. Paul and in East St. Louis, Missouri. He especially enjoyed going out for a movie and dinner. Religious life was very important to him and a true joy. He would often talk about that with other Oblates.
As his health began to decline, he moved to the Oblate Retirement Community in Belleville, Illinois, in 1997.
In early September of 2009, Bro. Williams moved to the northeast in order to be closer to family. He joined the Oblate community at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Residence in Tewksbury. While there, he especially enjoyed participating in Liturgy as lector and simply enjoying the fraternity of his brother Oblates.
In addition to his Oblate family, Bro. Williams is survived by two sisters, Sarah Lamar of Carson, California, and Loretta Moody of Jarratt, Virginia; and a sister-in-law, Frances Williams of Shaker Heights, Ohio.