Charlie Williams Obituary

Charlie Raymond Williams, beloved son, brother, and friend to many, passed away March 5, 2024, in Portland, Oregon from complications of throat cancer. He was 50 years old.

Charlie was born in Denver in 1974 to parents Roberta and Mark Williams. He grew up in Durango, Colorado, where he attended Durango High School. After getting his GED and taking some time off from school, he went on to earn his bachelor's degree in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He subsequently moved to Portland, Oregon in 2005, where he worked at Intel for nearly two decades, first as an integration technician and then as a manufacturing integration engineer.

Even amid the sadness of losing Charlie, countless memories of him bring smiles and laughter. From an early age and throughout his life, Charlie's kind heartedness and wry, mischievous humor endeared him to many. Somehow he was simultaneously a quiet, gentle presence and the life of the party. He enjoyed and was skilled at drawing, often sketching irreverent cartoons and monsters. In his younger years he was occasionally a troublemaker, which created situations (ahem, sneaking into the Madison, Wisconsin zoo at night and narrowly escaping the security guard) that were ill-advised at the time but highly amusing in retrospect.

Charlie was generous with his time and resources. He would help others without hesitation, whether they were a friend, a coworker, or a stranger. When he adopted his cat, Katamari, he asked the shelter for the most antisocial cat they had. He adopted that cat knowing he had been through a lot and would need patience and love.

Charlie is survived and lovingly remembered by his mother, Roberta "Becky" Williams of Durango, his sisters Sarah Williams of Portland and Moonwalker Williams of Durango, and numerous family, friends, and colleagues across the country. He is preceded in death by his father, Mark Williams. A private family memorial will take place.

As we mourn the loss of Charlie, we encourage all who knew him to honor his memory through acts of kindness.