Brent David Williams Obituary (1944 - 2015)

Once in awhile in this life, if we are lucky or deserving we are fortunate enough to know a special soul who emanates a light of tenderness and humor, compassion and strength, and leaves the world a better place because of his existence. Brent David Williams, a beloved son and devoted brother, loving husband, father and grandfather, caring uncle, cousin and friend of many, was one of those, and who, on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, joined his Heavenly Father and earthly family and friends who went before him.Brent, the youngest child and only son of Chicory and Hazel George Williams, was born in Waterville on the Ides of March in 1944 while the rest of the Lebanese community was at the railroad station welcoming home the Waterville High School 1944 State Basketball Champions. He grew up on King Ct. in the heart of the Lebanese community surrounded by family and friends and the culture that he cherished. His formative school years in grades 1 through 8 were spent at St. Joseph Maronite School, with the next three at Waterville High School, transferring to and graduating from Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, Mass., where he lived in his senior year with his uncle, aunt and five cousins. After a year at Fairfield University and Thomas College, he followed his desire to learn computer processing at Plus School of Business in Portland.In 1965, with the Vietnam war ramping up, Brent enlisted in the Army and served two tours there, first as a clerk in a Medevac unit and then in data processing in Saigon, all during the height of the spraying of Agent Orange, which consequently led to his health problems.After his honorable discharge from the service, Brent worked in the data processing department at Prudential Insurance Company in Boston, where he lived for five years. Upon his return to Waterville in 1973, he acquired a position in the IT department of the former Mid-Maine Medical Center now MaineGeneral. On July 4th of that year, Brent went on a blind date with a UMF student named Lea Joseph and three years later to the day, on July 4, 1976 - the country's bicentennial anniversary - they were married. Brent and Lea were and always will be the proud parents of three amazing children born within 4 years: Brea, Luke and Lacey.Brent remained at MaineGeneral for over 25 years, until two of the long-term health effects of exposure to Agent Orange, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and complications of diabetes, forced his retirement in September of the year 2000.Brent continued to be as active as he could, as a participating communicant of St. Joseph Maronite Church and serving on its Finance Committee, as an elected board member of the Kennebec Water District for two terms, on the Board of Directors of Inland Hospital for six years and as a member of the Winslow Schools Employees Foundation from its inception until 2013 when his health no longer allowed him to continue.Brent was an avid fan of sports particularly the NY Giants and Yankees, WWE wrestling much to his wife's chagrin, westerns and action films. He also enjoyed dabbling in an occasional gamble whether the stock market, lottery, horse or dog race or casino. Always the consummate provider, the motivating force behind his "get rich quick" gambles was not to accumulate wealth, but to ensure his family's financial security before he had to leave us. Brent was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Barbara Leavitt and her daughter, Patrice.Besides his devoted wife, Lea, their loving children Brea Pat, Luke Sabrina and Lacey Noah, and granddaughter, Alena and She-who-is-soon-to-arrive, Brent leaves behind two of the three sisters he cherished, his beloved Beatrice Clifford and sweet Brenda, to whom he was eternally dedicated, his darling nieces and nephews and their children, his wife's family, who loved him like blood, and many wonderful and treasured cousins, especially those in Holden and Boston, MA with whom he lived for a time and was like a brother. He also leaves behind many good and close friends, those from his childhood and beyond. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him but always remembered for his incredible strength and perseverance, acceptance and sense of humor in the throes of constant health adversity.Our family wishes to express our deepest gratitude for the many marvelous caretakers both in and out of the hospital in past as well as recent years: the concerned and attentive employees of MaineGeneral Medical Center in both Waterville and Augusta who saw to his and our every need whenever he was there; the helpful and compassionate dialysis staff who became his other family in his "home away from home" for nearly seven years; the kind and gentle home health caretakers who respectfully maintained his dignity while assisting in his care in these final weeks; the doctors who cared for him over the years, especially Drs. Feero, & Auger, Drs. Lamoine & Jacobs, Drs, Kyle, Ventura, Clark and Fleming, and our special friend and neighbor, Dr. Mike Saletta, all of whom recognized the strong, remarkable, accepting, uncomplaining, persevering, spiritual, caring embodiment of grace, character and reverence that Brent exuded.Visiting hours will take place at Gallant Funeral Home on Friday, Feb. 13 from 5-8 p.m. Aboona Larry Jensen will celebrate the Maronite Funeral Liturgy on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 12:00 noon at St. Joseph Maronite Church.In lieu of flowers, donations to: St. Joseph Maronite Church, 1 Appleton St., Waterville - See more at: http://obituaries.centralmaine.com/obituaries/mainetoday-centralmaine/obituary.aspx?n\=brent-david-williams&pid\=174115087&fhid\=29428#sthash.6jFPxzh9.dpuf