Howard T "Tooter" Williams

View Video TributeView Funeral Webcast Mr. Howard Thomas "Tooter" Williams, 83, longtime farmer on the Santa Fe Pike, died Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Funeral services will be conducted Friday at 11:00 a.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Rev. Ezell Rose officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Thursday from 5 - 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Condolences may be offered online at www.oakesandnichols.com. The Maury County native was the son of the late Henry Thomas Williams and Etta Mary Derryberry Williams. He was reared in the Bear Creek Community. On December 30, 1948 when he was seventeen years old he married Ruth Fitzgerald Williams, who was just fifteen years old; and they were blessed with sixty-five years of marriage. Mr. Williams worked several jobs before becoming a full time farmer. He was well known as a crusher man from years of running feed mobiles all over the country. In addition to milking cows, cutting hay and raising tobacco, he was a genius mechanic and could fix any running part of a car, tractor or piece of farming equipment. As much as he loved farming he loved to get away and go fishing in his spare time. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Wayne Williams of Houston, Texas and Eddie (Elva) Williams of Columbia; grandson, Scooter Williams of Columbia; sisters-in-law, Joyce Williams of Lewisburg, Marie Potts of Columbia; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. Williams was preceded in death by his grandfather, Sandie Thomas Williams; brothers, Jesse Boyd Williams, Elbert Loyd Williams and sister, Bessie Helen Wilhoite. Active pallbearers include Charles Pigg, Edward Turner, Marion Sewell and Larry Shaw.