Point Reyes Light - November 18, 2004
Rodney Clint Williams was gregarious, civic minded
By Larken Bradley
Forest Knolls resident Rodney Clint Williams, 48, was shot and killed by his brother-in-law last Thursday near Sebastopol.
Rodney Williams was a highly visible member of the San Geronimo Valley community. Wearing his hair in long dreadlocks, sporting Doc Martens-brand lace-up boots and possessing a gregarious personality, he quickly made friends wherever he went.
"He made you feel like his best friend," said neighbor and friend Chloe Cook.
Added his sister, Royna Williams, "he was a talker." In a period when he commuted on Golden Gate Transit to his job at UCSF Medical Center, he knew everyone on the bus and gave people nicknames, his sister said.
A diagnostic radiology technician, Mr. Williams had just begun his 15th year of service at UCSF, where he worked the night shift in units including critical care, the emergency room and intensive care. He was an active parent in Lagunitas School’s open classroom, and had coached Little League.
Lifelong Marin resident
Born June 30, 1956, Mr. Williams was the second of six children who grew up in Marin City. He served as an altar boy at Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Sausalito and was active in youth sports.
At Tamalpais High School he excelled in athletics as a sprinter in track and field, and playing cornerback on the football team. In a publication of Tam High’s Who’s Who directory, he won an entry for both his athletic accomplishments and his poetry.
After graduating in 1974, he enlisted in the Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He later attended College of Marin and Santa Rosa Junior College, where he received his training in diagnostic radiology.
As a young man Mr. Williams had dreams of becoming a professional football player and tried out for one pro team without success, his sister reported. A fanatical Dallas Cowboys fan, he admired football legend Mel Renfro, a defensive back who played with the Cowboys in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
"We called him Mel," his sister revealed. "He wanted to be him." While attending College of Marin in an ethnic studies class he met his future wife Carole. "He was totally funny in class," Mrs. Williams recalled. "He always had something smart to say."
The couple married in 1985 and Mr. Williams helped raise his wife’s two sons from an earlier marriage as his own.
"Rod was a super-duper family man," his wife said.
Ambitious and motivated, Mr. Williams was proud of the success he’d achieved professionally and in his family life. "I’d describe him as jubilant," said his youngest son, Jordan Williams. "When something caught his eye, he went after it non-stop."
"Outstanding was his courage,’
"Most outstanding was his courage," said his wife. "Rod was kind of like my protector."
When confronted with injustice, he didn’t hesitate to try to set things straight. To people outside his family, "he could be intimidating," his wife said. "He had an imposing stare," his son added. "Everybody respected him," his wife said.
Mr. Williams was predeceased by his parents.
He is survived by his wife Carole Williams; son, Jordan Williams; and daughter, Phoenix Williams; all of Forest Knolls; sons, Tyrone of San Rafael; and Jason of Mendocino; brothers, Raymond Williams; and Ross Williams; sisters, Renee Williams; Royna Williams; and Rhonda Williams; and his stepmother, Diane Williams.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 18, at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Fairfax. A reception following the service will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at San Geronimo Community Center, 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Interment will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery in San Rafael.
A memorial fund has been established. Contributions may be made to: The Carole Williams Family Account No. 486-039162-5, Washington Mutual Bank, Bon Air Plaza Financial Center, 401 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae, CA 94904.