Cecil Lee Williams, 94, passed away peacefully at his home in Freedom Village on Monday, June 2, 2025.
He was born on August 28, 1930, in Pratt, Kansas, to Thelma (Miskimmin) Williams and Frank Lee Williams. He was preceded in death by his parents, his two younger siblings—James Doyle Williams (Wilma Barnett) and Helen Nadine Schuster (Donald Schuster)—and an infant son.
Cecil attended Preston, Kansas consolidated schools and was named valedictorian of his 15-member high school graduating class in 1948. He went on to attend Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas, before joining the United States Navy in January 1951 at the beginning of the Korean Conflict. He served aboard the USS Castor (AKS-1) with the Pacific Fleet, and was later assigned to the 8th Naval District in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In May 1953, Cecil married Elizabeth Jane (Bette) Brewster. The couple made their first home in New Orleans before returning to Baldwin in 1955 to complete Cecil’s undergraduate degree.
After receiving his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1963, he joined the university’s Counseling Center, working there until 1967. He was then appointed Associate Professor of Counseling at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, a role he held until 1979. That year, he joined the Research Division of Herman Miller, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as part of a team developing the Facility Management Institute. When that division closed in 1986, he became Director of Health and Wellness at Herman Miller, a position that led him and Bette to settle in Holland, Michigan, where they became active members of the community. Cecil retired from Herman Miller in 1995, after which he co-founded DCW Consulting in Grand Haven, Michigan.
Cecil was a member of the American Psychological Association, a founding member of the Association of Psychological Type, and an active participant in the Hope Academy of Senior Professionals. He was a longtime member of Hope Church in Holland, Michigan, where he also served as an elder.
He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Bette; daughter Anne Williams (Steve Portigal); son Tom Williams (Sally Steuer); and nine nieces and nephews and their families.
On Saturday, July 12, 2025, following a private family committal service in the Hope Church Memorial Garden, there will be a visitation and reception at Hope Church at 11 am. Memorial contributions may be made to Hope Church, the Freedom Village Scholarship Fund, or the Parkinson’s Foundation. Arrangements are by Dykstra Funeral Homes – Downtown Chapel.
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