Ronald L. Williams, DDS

Ronald Lynn Williams passed into the Lord’s arms on the evening of November 14, 2024, in Norman, Oklahoma. He was born on November 1, 1946, in McAlester, Oklahoma to George Thomas Williams and Blanche Marie Bishop. He was the second oldest of four boys and grew up in Wilburton, OK.

While attending Wilburton High School, Ron built a well-rounded record of activities as well as being a top-flight student. He played halfback for the Wilburton “Diggers” football team and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020. He was a member of the Oklahoma Honor Society for all four years and was highly active in student leadership, serving as student council representative and President of his sophomore class. In addition to raising dozens of cattle, Ron also served as President and Vice-President of the local Future Farmers of America chapter. He graduated as Salutatorian in 1964.

Ron attended Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton from 1964–1966, paying his way through college by raising and showing his large collection of cattle (“Princess” and “Bonnie” were particularly prized). Ron transferred to the University of Oklahoma in Norman and graduated with a degree in Zoology in 1968. He served in the Army Reserves as a Medical Corpsman from 1970­–1974, where he earned distinction as an Army Sharpshooter. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree from the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas in 1974, where he excelled among his classmates.

Ron married Cheryl Dodson on April 12, 1969, with whom he had two daughters, Shea Lynn and Shannon Michelle Williams. He later married Amy L. (Brown) Jones on December 22, 1989, through whom he gained a son, Kyle Thomas Jones, and with whom he had another son, Brady Chase Williams.

After earning his D.D.S., Ron returned to Oklahoma and practiced dentistry in Norman for 43 years, turning many patients into friends along the way. He pioneered new techniques for making dentistry pain-free and created beautiful smiles at “Smile Solutions.” Ron and dental partner Jim Spurgeon performed extreme dental makeovers for Channel 5’s Oklahoma’s Ultimate Makeover from 2005–2008. Patients loved Dr. Williams for the genuine care and attention he provided them. Each evening, he would even call the patients on whom he performed surgery to check in on their well-being.

Ron’s skills in dentistry were exceeded only by the love in his heart and the desire to serve others. These qualities would eventually propel his dentistry beyond borders and onto separate continents when he traveled to Guyana, South America and Uganda, Africa to provide free dental care to rural residents. Ron took great pleasure in easing his patients’ pain and, in some cases, saving their lives.

When his fingers weren’t in patients’ mouths, Ron enjoyed playing golf, tennis, pickleball, racquetball, and, really, anything with a ball. He also famously enjoyed eating plentiful amounts of ice cream—particularly Blue Bell’s “Homemade Vanilla”—a trait that runs deep in the Williams family. He attended First Baptist Church, Norman, for over 30 years, where he taught Sunday school and was a valued member of the church community. Ron will be remembered by friends and family as a uniquely kind, gentle, and caring soul, always eager to lend a helping hand.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, George Thomas and Blanche Marie (Bishop) Williams; brother Michael “Mickey” Lee Williams; sister-in-law Lee Ann (Burger) Williams. He is survived by his wife Amy L. Brown Jones Williams and their sons Brady Chase Williams and Kyle Thomas Jones and his wife Amanda (Brashears) Jones and their children Annamarie Elizabeth, Christopher Jay, and Sarah Jo Jones; his former wife Cheryl “Cheri” Lynn (Dodson) Williams and their daughters Shannon Michelle Williams and her children Sullivan Bishop and Cambelle Grace Ho, and Shea Lynn (Williams) Tippens and her husband Sam Tippens and their children Jaycie Lynn and Kalli Michelle Tippens; his brother Mickey’s family; his brother Robert “Bob” Ray Williams and his family; his brother Steve Alan Williams and family; and many nieces, nephews, and loving friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at First Baptist Church, Norman, OK located at 211 W. Comanche St. on Friday, November 22 at 2pm, followed by a brief reception. Ron’s final resting place will be in Maysville Cemetery in Maysville, Garvin County, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ron’s honor to the Missions Ministry of First Baptist Church, Norman or the charitable organization of your choice.