Tuesday, January 9, 2001 Pine Bluff Commercial

O.P. Williams, 87, of Pine Bluff, died January 7, 2001, at St. Bernard Hospital at Jonesboro.

He was born March 21, 1913, at Warren, a son of the late Ora Leonard Williams and Bertie Hall Williams.

He was reared and received his early education at Monroe. He moved to Pine Bluff in 1940, where he worked for the Cotton Belt Railroad for 44 years, retiring as an engineer.

He played semi-pro baseball for the Cotton States League at Pine Bluff. He was a member of Second Baptist Church for many years, before joining First Baptist Church in 1998.

He was a Mason and a member of the Jacob Brump Lodge 160, the Sahara Shrine Temple and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Hortense Watts Williams; three brothers; and one sister.

Survivors include three sons, Preston Williams of Jonesboro, Gene Williams of Little Rock, and Sterling Williams of Pine Bluff; a brother, Herman Williams of Buna, Texas; a sister, Martha Sue Ragar of Mayflower; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors with the Rev. Gordon Topping officiating. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery.