James A. Williams lll

Bloomington - Bloomington Indiana - James (Jim) A. Williams lll, age 90, passed away on October 31,2023 in Alpharetta Georgia surrounded by his wife Diane and children Lisa Ellen and James (Jay) Richard.

He is preceded in death by his mother Hilda, father James A 2nd and sister Hilda L. Shafer

Jim is survived by his wife and best friend Diane of Bloomington, IN, daughter Lisa E. Williams and husband Dale L. Metz, son James (Jay) R. Williams and wife Deborah L. all from Alpharetta, GA and three beautiful and amazing grandchildren that could not have made him more proud Michael James Williams (Athens, GA), Kayla Renee (Stefan) Kranenburg (Rockville, MD), and Jared Richard Williams (Athens, GA). His sister Janice Favara of Forest Grove, OR and brother Roger L. (Barbara) Williams of Placitas, NM.

Jim was born July 21,1933 in Tacoma Park, Maryland to Hilda Hathaway and James Albert ll. James (aka Jimmy/Jim) graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1951 and went on to attend and graduate (BA CAS 1956) from American University (AU) in Washington DC on a full athletic scholarship, playing baseball and basketball. In 2000 he was inducted into the AU Hall of Fame as a player and a coach. AU is also where he met his future wife Diane (Trenery); they recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

Following graduate school at Penn State (MA CAS 1958) Jim returned to AU to teach and assume the role of assistant basketball coach under David Lee Carrasco and Athletic Director Dutch Schultz. In 1962 Jim was named head basketball coach of American University's Eagles until his departure in 1965. From there Jim continued to put his energy and passion into teaching, mentoring, and championing federal and state programs that help enhance the lives of others. As a Program Director at Job Corps (Washington DC/Camp Atterbury Edinburgh, IN), he helped provide young people the academic and vocational skills they needed to secure meaningful and lasting employment. He also developed strong athletic programs to provide extracurricular activities.

In 1967 Jim and family moved to Bloomington, Indiana where he and Diane have resided for more than 56 years. Jim commenced work on his doctorate at Indiana University and became very involved in Alternative Education. He was proud to be one of the original board members of Harmony School. When Jim left the academic field, he began working for the State of Indiana in various capacities including Head Start, Area Agencies on Aging, and the State's Energy Programs.

Jim's love for sports never waned he just expanded his favorite teams to include IU Soccer, IU Baseball, IU Men & Women's Basketball as well as his grandchildren's alma maters Georgia Tech and University of Georgia. He was also a voracious reader and loved sharing his favorite books and authors with others who shared his passion and interests. Jim was politically well-informed and willing to give you his interpretations and "takes" on issues (local, national, and international) along with personalities. Jim was ever studying, reading, and examining which truly made him open to discussion. Jim and Diane loved art and travel which is reflected in their beautiful home.

Jim's gift to all was his beautiful gardens. He loved planting, nurturing, and sharing the wonderful and vibrant plants and flowers he grew both in Indiana and with his children in Georgia. He always said they made him feel alive!

Jim you will be so missed but your wisdom, words, and living gardens will forever remain.

A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in James A. Williams lll's memory may be made to:

American University www.american.edu/giving

Leukemia And Lymphoma Society www.lls.org