Theo Reginal Williams, Sr., husband of Elaine Beck Williams of Sandersville, GA for 64 years, departed this life on March 2, 2026.

Theo was born on January 29, 1934 in Greenwood County, South Carolina to Ida Timmerman Williams and Julian Lake Williams. When he was seven years old, he moved with his mother and brother, Julian Williams, to Edgefield, the community that would remain his home for the next 85 years.

Please join the family for a visitation celebrating the life of Theo on Sunday, March 8th, from 3:00–6:00 p.m. at The Old Timber Lodge and Venue, located at 271 Crest Road, Edgefield, SC. A private burial will be held at his childhood church, Berea Baptist Church, where he cherished returning for Sunrise Easter Sunday throughout most of his life.

Theo attended Edgefield High School, where he played both football and basketball and formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. He went on to attend Clemson College and then returned home to farm with his mother, beginning a long and deeply rooted life in agriculture. In the late 1950s, he joined Edgefield Seed Cleaners, where he worked and later became owner. During his years at the Seed Store, he also entered the swine industry, producing the first disease‑free pork in South Carolina, and began cattle farming which was his greatest farming love.

In the mid 1970s, Theo expanded into peach production, and by the mid‑1980s he added a timber harvesting business. Every endeavor was built through hard work, determination, and the steadfast partnership of his wife, Elaine, and their four children: Martha Caroline Williams of Mount Pleasant; Martha Williams Sanders (Chuck Sanders) and their daughter Rachel Sanders Chandler (Rick Chandler); Theo Reginal Williams Jr. (Deanna Hornsby Williams) and their children Sidney Elizabeth Williams, Jordan Elaine Williams, and Theo Reginal “Briggs” Williams III; Timmerman Beck Williams (Susan Crawford Williams) and their sons Edgar Beck Williams (Allie Miros Williams) and Theo’s first great grand-daughter Mary Mathis Williams, and Crawford Timmerman Williams (Lisa Sevenius Williams).

Theo believed deeply in the value of honest labor and was known for several sayings that he lived by: “a day’s work for a day’s pay,” “early bird gets the worm,” and “if you are going to be a success you need to get up early in the morning.” Many young high school and college men learned the meaning of hard work under his guidance, affectionately referred to as TWIT (Theo Williams Institute of Technology). He took great pride in teaching young people how to work hard and valued every opportunity to help shape their character and work ethic.

He served the Edgefield Community in many ways throughout his life. He was a founding board member for F. H. Wardlaw Academy. Of all his service positions, none meant more to him than his service on the Aiken Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees. Beginning in 1965, he served for 52 years in a variety of leadership roles, including the Executive Committee, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and AEC’s representative on the boards of Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. and Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. His love for the Cooperative began as a boy, when he watched the first electric lights come on at his mother’s home. He often recalled thinking that was the day he knew he could have ice cream at home like his cousins in the city.

Theo loved the land and the life it gave him. He found joy in quail and dove hunting, pond fishing, and the quiet contentment of watching cattle graze in the pasture. His life was marked by devotion to his family, his work, his community, and the land he stewarded with such pride.

A thank you to his devoted caregivers Charles (Pop) Ware, Marilyn Chinn, Irene Lanham, Ernestine Stevens, Denise Terry and Greenwood Family Hospice. A thank you to Dr. Ned Nicholson, Dr. George Rainsford and Dr. Abdulla.

A special thank you to Chan Rearden, Robbie Quarles, Phillip Wells and Mark Faust for their continued support and unwavering allegiance in all they do. 

In lieu of flowers, donations to Berea Baptist Church (1675 Hyw 25 N, Edgefield, SC 29824), Edgefield First Baptist Church (212 Church St, Edgefield, SC 29824) or Wardlaw Academy (1296 Columbia Rd, Johnston, SC 29832).