Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries



Ovid K. (Kelly) Williams
July 13, 1929 - August 11, 2018

Funeral services for Ovid K. (Kelly) Williams will be held on Thursday, August 
16, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague. Bro. Mark Abshier will 
officiate. Interment will follow the services at Union Cemetery near Freestone.

Visitation will be held prior to the services on Thursday beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Mr. Williams passed away on Saturday, August 11, 2018, at the Groesbeck L.T.C.

He was born in Personville on July 13, 1929, and grew up in the Fair Oaks 
community. He attended the Fair Oaks School and graduated with the class of 1946, 
at the age of sixteen. After high school, he attended Sam Houston Teachers College 
and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Husbandry in 1949. He was a member of 
the “Farm Boys” at Sam Houston. Mr. Williams taught Ag Science and Woodshop at 
Karnes City High School for a year before enlisting in the U. S. Air Force in 
1950. He was based at Westover A.F.B. in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts and 
attended special forces training at the University of Georgia. Mr. Williams 
obtained the rank of Staff Sargent and was in charge of inspecting the food 
supply for all forces in Korea. He married Esther Ora Abshier on August 15, 1953, 
in Houston at the Fairbanks Baptist Church. He received his Honorable Discharge 
in December 1954. After his Air Force service, Mr. Williams worked on the family 
farm in Fair Oaks then went to work for the Texas Highway Department in Limestone 
Co. in 1956 and later transferred to Waco in 1964 and became the lab supervisor 
for TxDOT until 1992 when he retired. Mr. Williams enjoyed travel and loved to 
visit the mountains. His favorite vacations were to the Swiss Alps, the Alberta, 
Canada Rocky Mountains, and Alaska. He also enjoyed fishing and wood working and 
built numerous pieces of furniture. He loved antique airplanes, automobiles, and 
trains. Mr. Williams was a Baptist. He was baptized in the 1960’s at First Baptist 
Church in Mexia and was a member of Oaklawn Baptist Church in Bellmead.

He is survived by his wife of almost sixty-five years, Esther Williams of Magnolia; 
one son, Monte Williams of Houston; one daughter, Beverly DeCoster of Magnolia; 
two grandchildren, Kelly (DeCoster) Russell & husband Matthan and Dana DeCoster 
& wife Shay; Jamie DeCoster; three great-grandchildren, Lorne DeCoster, Emalene 
Russell, and Wesley Russell; one sister, Jean Simms of Gainesville, Florida; one 
brother, Jerry Williams of Groesbeck; five sisters-in-law, Billie Williams of 
Lubbock, Claudette Williams of San Antonio, Janet Abshier of Fredericksburg, 
Sally Abshier of Donie, and Jean Harding of Bartlett, Tennessee; one brother-in-
law, Donald Sims of Groesbeck; a special cousin, Donnie Turner of Teague; 
numerous other relatives and friends.

Mr. Williams was preceded in death by an infant son, Andrew Jonathan Williams; 
his parents, Elbert & Lena Williams; one granddaughter, Brie DeCoster; two 
sisters, Jane Williams and Mary Sims; five brothers, Carl Williams, Paul Williams, 
Gaylon Clovis (Cody) Williams, Bobbie Williams, and Elbert Williams, Jr.; one 
daughter-in-law, Kathy Williams; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Charlie & 
Ora Abshier; one sister-in-law, Betty Abshier; seven brothers-in-law, James 
Abshier, J. D. Abshier, Joel Abshier, J. T. Abshier, George Abshier, Ralph Abshier, 
and Hendon Simms.