William "Don" Williams

William 'Don' Williams, 81, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on November 29, 2025 after fighting a long battle with cancer. He was born to the late David and Rachel Gordon Williams on May 12, 1944 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Don selflessly served his country in the United States Army as a lineman in France. During his tenure, he met his first wife, Colette Brión, and together had two children. After serving his country, Don worked in telecommunications spanning 50 years, retiring as a district operations manager with Verizon. Later, he met his second wife, Karen Listermann, on a blind date and they spent 37 amazing years together. Don was a gentle man who never met a stranger and through everything remained a positive person. He was a wealth of knowledge in a wide variety of subjects, just ask him, he'd tell you. He loved shopping, soap operas, eating out, traveling to new and loved destinations, and spending time with his cherished family.
In addition to his parents, Don is preceded by his siblings: David Williams, Jr., Mary Ella Trayner, Doris June Williams, Rudy Williams, Ruby Williams, and Brenda Bruner. He leaves behind to cherish his memory, his loving and devoted wife, Karen Williams; children: Ken Williams (Celia), Rémi Williams (Brenda), Tammy Carey (Patrick), and Traci Williams (Travis); his brother, Johnny Williams (Susan); his grandchildren: Jenna Wells (Paul), Kyle Williams, Lauren Williams, Owen Carey, Cheney Carey, Lydia Williams, Aaron Cox, and Donnie Abbott (Cindy); his great-grandchildren: Margaret Wells, Peyton Alyssa Cox, Alexlyn Abbott, Orlando Paredes, and Landon Abbott, as well as other family members and friends who will all miss him dearly.
Visitation will be from 10:00am – 12:00pm, Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at Ratterman Brothers, East Louisville (12900 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40243) with funeral service to begin at 12:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Shirley's Way.