Robert Madison Williams

Mr. Robert Madison Williams of Atlanta, passed March 5, 2025.  Funeral service will be held Friday, March 21 , 2025 at 11 a.m. at Friendship Baptist Church, 80 Walnut St., S.W., Reverend Kelly M. Smith, Pastor.  Interment, Westview Cemetery.  The remains will be placed in state at the church at 10 a.m.  The public viewing will be on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at our chapel from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Robert Madison Williams was born on September 4, 1940, in Aiken, South Carolina, but spent his early childhood in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second son of the late Dr. Edward Buchannon Williams and the late Beatrice McGhee Williams.

Robert attended Oglethorpe Elementary School in Atlanta, graduating in 1953. He then attended Booker T. Washington High School for two years before completing his secondary education at Monson Academy in Monson, Massachusetts, graduating in 1959. He continued his studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. Following a two-year service in the United States Army, stationed in Thule, Greenland, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia, he pursued graduate studies at the Atlanta University School of Social Work, where he earned a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) degree in 1969.

Robert began his professional career as a social worker with the Concentrated Employment Program under the Office of Economic Opportunity's War on Poverty initiative. He later worked with the National Medical Association in Washington, D.C., before returning to Atlanta in 1970 to join the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. When the department was restructured as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he served as a Health Service Representative in the U.S. Office of Public Health Service for thirty years, retiring in 1996.

Throughout his career, Robert was recognized for his contributions to public health. His accolades included the agency's highest honor, The Peer Recognition Award, as well as the Many Contributions Award for his significant impact on public health and wellness in the Southeast. On June 24, 1994, he was honored with a letter of accomplishment from U.S. Representative Earl F. Hilliard.

A passionate sports enthusiast, Robert played for the Morehouse Maroon Tigers football team from 1958 to 1962 and also participated in varsity football, baseball, and basketball at Monson Academy. He remained a dedicated supporter of Morehouse College athletics and was an avid fan of Atlanta's professional sports teams, including the Falcons, Braves, and Hawks.

During his twenty-year marriage to Beverly Joan Fountaine, Robert became a devoted and proud father to their two sons, Rodney Wyatt Williams and Ryan Fountaine Williams.

Robert was a lifelong member of Friendship Baptist Church, where he was baptized at an early age by the late Reverend Maynard Jackson Sr., father of the late Maynard Jackson Jr., former mayor of Atlanta.

He was initiated into the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity in 1968.

Robert Madison Williams was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Edward B. Williams and Beatrice McGhee Williams; his brothers, Dr. Edward M. Williams and Dr. Joseph W. Williams; and his nephew, Brandon C. Williams.  He leaves to cherish his memory his former wife, Beverly J. Fountaine; his sons, Rodney W. Williams and Ryan F. Williams; his nephews, Brent M. Williams, Kurt B. Williams (Godson), Scott H. Williams and Dr. Kevin B. Williams (Godson) ( Dr. Shamita Williams); his niece, Joron Williams Murray (Eduardo); his great nieces, Eryn R. Gilstrap  and Quinci O. Williams, his great nephews, Dakarai B. Williams and Maddox J. Murry and first cousins Yvonne McGhee James, William "Billy" McGhee, David McGhee, Angela McGhee, and Ladavese McGhee. He is also remembered fondly by extended family, close friends, and his beloved Morehouse College community.