Surrounded by family and friends, Glen Lee Williams died at his home in Willows on Friday, January 24, 2025, following a battle with cancer. He was born in Jackson, Amador County, Calif., to Kenneth and Joan (Hamrick) Williams on November 13, 1955.
He grew up in various locations where his father worked as an operating engineer, until they moved to Willows, when Glen was in junior high school. Glen met and became friends with Anthony Niehues and the Niehues family and developed a lifelong friendship with Anthony.
After graduating from Willows High School, he attended Butte College. He met Lanette Gunderson in Chico.
They were married June 17, 1978, and moved to Wasilla, Alaska, shortly thereafter. Glen worked at the Municipality of Anchorage as a mechanic on the People Movers and later moved to the fire department.
Meanwhile, he also worked as a volunteer firefighter in the Mat-Su Valley. After some years, he became a firefighter at the Anchorage Fire Department.
Glen enjoyed being a firefighter very much and wore many hats, including EMT, Dive Rescue, Extrication, and Haz Mat. He retired as a captain on his birthday in 2010.
After retirement, Glen and Lanette spent their winters in Richfield, Calif., and then purchased a house in Willows in 2012. They spent their summers at their home in Wasilla and went dip netting on the Kenai River every year.
Glen enjoyed telling stories, hunting, and fishing. He loved being a husband, a father, an Opa, and a firefighter. And he loved his friends like family.
He is survived by his wife, Lanette; sister Donna (Al) Simmons; son Anthony; daughters Alycia (Peter) Hahn, Amy Williams, and Amanda (Doug) Seppanen; grandchildren Elliot, Emet, Joel, Kendall, Karli, Adela, Alyssa, David, Amos, Kensington, Annabell, Elijah, Anderson, and Theodore. He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth, and his mother, Joan.
A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, at F.D. Sweet & Son Funeral Home, 114 North Shasta Street, Willows. A graveside services is to follow at 11 a.m. at the Willows Cemetery.
A celebration of life is scheduled to take place at noon at the Jacinto Grange Hall, 7254 County Road 39, Willows.
The Glenn County Observer 