Johnny Louis Williams

Celebrating the Life of

Johnny Louis Williams

December 20, 1965 – October 2, 2026

A Life Begins

Johnny Louis Williams entered this world on December 20, 1965, in Metter, Georgia, born to James L. Williams and Betty Phillips Williams. His life would become one filled with family, laughter, hard work, good times, and plenty of stories that those who loved him will continue telling for years to come.

Johnny was simply Johnny. He had a personality all his own. He loved to laugh, loved a good joke, and enjoyed being around people. But if you knew Johnny, you also knew he was going to tell you the truth. He didn’t spend a lot of time dressing things up—he would tell you what he thought, and sometimes you just had to take it because that was Johnny.

Somewhere along life’s journey, he became affectionately known as “Kat Daddy.” And it stuck. Family, friends, and people who crossed his path knew him by that name. There really was only one Cat Daddy—and those who knew him knew exactly why.

Education, Work & Determination

Johnny attended school in Tattnall County and later earned his GED. He went on to work as a Crane Operator at Rayonier, a position that required skill, focus, responsibility, and a steady hand.

Johnny worked hard, but his job was only one part of his story. A title could never fully describe the man he was. His life was better measured by the people who knew him, the relationships he built, the laughter he shared, and the memories he left behind.

He understood something simple but important: you work, you take care of what needs to be taken care of, and then you make some time to enjoy life.

And Johnny knew how to enjoy life.

The Man We Knew and Loved

If you knew Johnny, you knew Kat Daddy.

Johnny loved to have a good time. He enjoyed telling jokes, laughing, talking, gathering with family and friends, and simply enjoying the people around him. He could make you laugh one minute and give you his unfiltered opinion the next. You rarely had to wonder where you stood with Johnny—he was honest, straightforward, and very much himself.

And then there was the Jamie Foxx comparison. More than a few people thought Johnny favored Jamie Foxx. It became one of those little things that made people smile when talking about him—and once somebody pointed it out, it was hard not to see it.

Johnny didn’t need anything fancy to have a good time. Give him his family and friends, some good conversation, laughter, something cooking on the grill, and maybe a cold beer nearby, and he was just fine.

These are the memories that feel especially precious now.

The jokes.The conversations.The gatherings.The cookouts.The laughter.The honesty.And those everyday moments that seemed so ordinary at the time but now mean everything.

Johnny was a good man who loved his family, enjoyed his life, and was comfortable being exactly who he was.

And that is worth remembering.

Family, His Greatest Treasure

Family was an important and respected throughout Johnny’s life.

They were the people he could laugh with, joke with, eat with, celebrate with, disagree with, tell the truth to, and still call family at the end of the day. With them, Johnny didn’t have to be anybody other than himself.

He was a father, a grandfather, a son, a brother, a nephew, an uncle, a cousin, and a friend. Each person knew a different part of Johnny, and each carries memories that belong especially to them.

His daughter, Kayla Marie Shannon, and his granddaughter, Miracle Rose Johnson, are part of the legacy he leaves behind. His family circle also included siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends who shared his journey.

The love within a family does not end when someone leaves us physically. It simply has to find a unique way to live.

And Johnny’s love will continue to live through his family.

His Legacy

Johnny was preceded in death by his father, James L. Williams; stepfather, Joe Miller; sister, Melissa Williams; and brothers, Malcolm Reid Williams and Antwan Young.

He leaves to cherish his life, his love, and so many memories:

His daughter:Kayla Marie Shannon; His granddaughter: Miracle Rose Johnson

His devoted mother: Betty Miller His sisters: Delores (Fred) Small; Mary Jane Brown, His brothers: Gary (Janelle) Williams, Jerry Williams, Willie Alexander Williams

His special cousin who was as close as a brother, Reginald Gay

His aunts: Ella Mae Carter, Sherry Ross (Chris), Jackie Phillips, Cynthia Phillips, Margie Phillips

His uncles: Henry Otis Phillips (Jackie), Charles Phillips (Geraldine), Ernest Phillips (Elsie)

His great-aunts: Bea Moore, Mary Lynch

Johnny also leaves a host of nieces, cousins, extended family members, and dear friends who will continue to speak his name, tell his stories, laugh about the good times, and keep the memory of Cat Daddy close.

The Memories He Leaves With Us

Sometimes a person’s legacy isn’t found only in the big things they accomplished. Sometimes it’s found in how they made you feel when they were around.

That is part of Johnny’s legacy. We will remember Kat Daddy—the jokes that made us laugh, his unwavering honesty, and the truth he shared whether we asked for it or not. We will remember family gatherings and cookouts, with Johnny tending the grill and making sure everything was done right. Most of all, we will remember the conversations, the laughter, the good times, and Johnny enjoying a cold beer.

We will remember somebody saying, “You know, he looks like Jamie Foxx,” and everybody looking at him again and laughing because, well…they might have had a point. And we’ll remember the simple gift of having Johnny with us. Those ordinary moments do not feel ordinary anymore. They are treasures now. They are the pieces of Johnny that death cannot take away because they belong to everyone who loved him.

Although we will miss his physical presence, we can smile through our tears because he was here. We knew him. We loved him. We laughed with him. And we are grateful.

“To everything there is a season,A time for every purpose under heaven.”— Ecclesiastes 3:1

Rest well, Johnny.