Matthew Arnold Williams

Matthew Arnold Williams, 83, farmer and resident of Lynnville, died Thursday, February 16, 2023 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Funeral services will be conducted Monday at 2:00 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Reverend Jeff Kane officiating. Burial will follow in Lynnwood Cemetery. The family will visit with friends Monday from 12:00 P.M. until service time at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Born November 1, 1939 in Giles County, he was the son of the late Newburn Matthew Williams and the late Alma Ellen Bass Williams. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard. Mr. Williams was a third-generation breeder of high-quality Belgian Draft Horses, Draft Mules, and Jacks and Jennets. For 12 years he served on the Belgian Draft Horse Association and was a member of Lynnville United Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, whom he married on September 1, 1962, Gayle Smith Williams of Lynnville; children, Michael Williams of Lynnville; Laurie (Jim) Warren of Conway, Arkansas; Rita (Ted) Thompson of Cornersville; brother, Ted (Nancy) Williams of Chapel Hill; and grandchildren, Abby Warren and Leah Warren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Peggy Elaine Pope. Active pallbearers will be Jim Warren, Ted Thompson, Briant Cheek, Mickey Hale, Charlie Jones, and Edward Jones. Honorary pallbearers include Meade Hopkins, Bill Thrasher, Terry Givens, and Leon Oliver. The family would like to express a special thanks to Dr. Gaylon Harris and thanks to his friends in the local Amish Community that have helped throughout the years.