Richard Allen Williams

Richard Allen Williams’ 8-year fight with colon cancer ended on Sunday morning, January 28th, 2018, with a peaceful and painless drift into sleep. Rick had just celebrated his 60th birthday with all of his children and grandchildren, achieving a great milestone. He passed on in the comfort of his home holding the hands of his wife of nearly 38 years (Rochelle) and his son (Seth). His French bulldog (Angus) was curled up beside him. Rick was a caring, kind, and gentle man who was also courageous, brave, and tough as nails. He was a soft-spoken leader who didn’t think of himself as a hero even though he would be the first one to head into a dangerous situation to help others. He had a great sense of humor and a smile that would light up the room. He was a practical joker who would meticulously plan well-thought-out pranks on unsuspecting firefighter brothers and sisters. He was a strong and honorable man’s man who was respected by all who knew him. In his 60 joyful and productive years on Earth, Rick spent almost 30 of them serving his hometown of San Diego as a firefighter, paramedic, and captain for the Santee Fire Department. In his downtime, Rick designed dozens of custom homes and remodels in and around San Diego county. He raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research by organizing annual poker tournaments on behalf of the Santee Fire Department for Relay For Life. He enjoyed traveling the world with his wife and three kids, he loved playing poker, and he rode his Harley Davidson as often as he could. In his younger years Rick set multiple unbroken records for his high school and college track teams. Rick’s heroism, kindness, and athletic prowess were, of course, secondary to his 37 years as a loving father. His family was his most treasured joy in life. Rick has left this world to prepare a place for his wife (Rochelle), his daughters (Christina and Jessica), his son (Seth), his son-in-law (Bret), his granddaughters (Juliette, Savanna, and Audrey), his mother and step-father (Billie and Alex), his father and step-mother (Rush and Cindy), his sisters (Jackie, Karen, and Jennifer), his French bulldog (Angus), and many other members of his large and adoring family. He is finally reunited with his twin brother (Ronnie). Rick will be missed by all for his unceasing warmth, his strong leadership, his humble servitude, his prankster antics, and hundreds of other unique qualities that made him the amazing man that he was.