Ted J. Williams, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to so many, of Lewiston, passed away, peacefully on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, at the age of 89.
Ted was born Feb. 5, 1934, in Broken Bow, Neb., to the late Art and Coletta Williams. Ted’s parents moved to Sheridan, Ore., in 1935, where he attended elementary and high school, graduating in 1953. He was the oldest of five children, two of which, preceded Ted in death, Larry Williams and Mary Ann Cook. His granddaughter Nicole Williams and grandson Christopher Williams also preceded Ted in death.
Ted married Ronda Jossi in 1954. They had four children and later divorced.
Ted later met and married the love of his life, Irene Farrington (Renie). They married in 1975 and continued their ongoing love affair throughout their life together. They blended their family, with their seven children, Tom Williams (Jackie) of Ferndale, Wash., Ed Williams of Everett, Wash., Teri Williams (Dwain) of Lewiston, Rick Farrington (Loretta) of Lewiston, Greg Farrington (Laurie) of Meridian, Jeff Williams (Christine) of Van Buren, Ark., and Kevin Farrington (Katy) of Spokane.
Ted was a kind and very caring man. He and Renie took in two high school friends of some of their children, so they had a safe place to live until they graduated and beyond.
Ted spent his entire career in the wood products industry, working in logging, sawmills, plywood mills and wood products quality control, ending up as Resource Manager of the Western Division for Potlatch Corporation in Idaho. Following his time at Potlatch, he formed his own company, Western Fiber, and supplied wood chips to Potlatch under contract. He was one of the founders of the Forest Resource Association in Missoula, Mont., serving as president for a few years.
Along with his loving wife Irene, and his seven children, Ted is survived by his sister Bethna Goergen, brother Pat Williams, 21 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren. All of Ted’s children and grandchildren were the light of his life. They reside in Arizona, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Hawaii and Idaho.
Ted enjoyed golfing, fishing, hunting and spending time with his wife and young grandchildren in earlier years. As time passed, his favorite thing to do was to spend time with his best friend and wife, Renie, just enjoying each other’s company or watching their Atlanta Braves. Due to living the closest in proximity, Ted took great joy in spending time with his twin grandchildren from Spokane and seeing his great-great-grandsons from the Tri-Cities.
Ted left his family with a legacy of love, devotion and humor. He will forever be missed.
Ted’s family would like to give a heartfelt thank you to friends and family, along with Elite Hospice of Clarkston, including Bubba, Kiley, Tamala, Sydney and Bonnie, as well as Father Joshua of All Saints Catholic Church in Lewiston, for your wonderful love, concern, prayers, care and compassion during this difficult time.
A memorial for Ted, will be announced at a later date and time.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project.
