Raymond Delano “Del” Williams
Raymond Delano “Del” Williams, M.D., F.A.C.S., 80, of Fredericksburg, Texas, entered into his heavenly home on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020.
Del was born in Mills County on Oct. 16, 1940, to Raymond Harper Williams and Martha Lou Audra Reynolds Williams. Del grew up in Goldthwaite, Texas, and later moved to Odessa where he attended Odessa High School and Ector High School. Upon graduation, Del attended Texas Western in El Paso where he was a 4-year letterman on both the Football and Track and Field teams and served as captain of both teams his senior year. Following college, Del attended the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston where he received his Doctor of Medicine in 1966. He was selected by his classmates to receive the prestigious Gold Headed Cane Award for his extraordinary dedication to the health and welfare of his patients. He competed his internship at Philadelphia General Hospital and his general surgery residency at UTMB Galveston. Del proudly served his country as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves from 1971-1973.
The majority of Del’s 40-plus year surgical career was spent in Victoria, Texas where he was a founding partner of Victoria Surgical Associates and served the greater Victoria area to include Goliad, Cuero, Port Lavaca and Yoakum. Del was known among his patients for his kindness, compassion and impeccable bedside manner. In 2004, Del and his wife Mary Ann headed north to fulfill his dream of practicing rural medicine in Montana. Del served thousands of patients in Northern Montana to include members of the Blackfeet Indian Tribe who welcomed him with open arms.
Del was a member of numerous professional societies, namely, the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Fellow American College of Surgeons, Alpha Kappa Medical Fraternity, Singleton Surgical Society, and the Victoria-Goliad County Medical Society.
When not in the operating room, Del could be found on his ranch in Tivoli or his family ranch in Goldthwaite. An avid rancher, Del enjoyed raising cattle, stocking fish ponds and mending fences. His true haven was perched in a duck blind at sunrise with his black lab at his feet and a lanyard of duck calls hanging around his neck. Following his retirement, Del enjoyed the final years of his life at Boot Ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, surrounded by family and friends where you could find him telling stories in the men’s clubhouse, bass fishing or hunting for golf balls with his grandchildren. He loved watching the Battlin’ Billies Football Team on Friday nights.
A loving husband, father, grandfather “Papa” and friend “Doc”, Del is survived by the love of his life, Mary Ann McGuffie Williams; his children (and their spouses), Doug (Lina) Williams, David (Anna) Williams, Mitch (Kelly) McGuffie; and his grandchildren Shelby, Taylor, Hunter, Madison, Riley, Morgan, Macey, and Kennedy.
A Memorial Service in celebration of Del’s life will be held at Baptist Temple in Victoria, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be given in his memory to Hill Country Memorial Hospice (808 Reuben Street, Fredericksburg, TX
78624) or to the charity of your choice.
The family offers a special thank you to the entire staff of Hill Country Memorial Hospice and Isabell for their loving care for Del these past few months.
Expressions of sympathy may be sent at www.schaetter.com
Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Schaetter Funeral Home.