He Will Forever Be Missed & Lovingly Remembered
WAYNE WILLIAMS
1960
2023
Born in Fulham, West London
on
22ND MAY 1960
Enticed by the promise of prosperity during the Windrush era, Gatilda “Amy” Williams and Patrick Williams made their journey together from tropical St. Ann’s Parish, Jamaica, into a far colder, more unforgiving terrain.
Settling in Fulham, West London, they produced a baby boy in 1960 naming him Wayne Anthony Williams. A naturally inquisitive child, he was filled with equal measures of joy and mischief, a potent recipe which often landed him at the mercy of his father, a scrupulous man who he recalled would provide him and his sister with “what they needed, and not necessarily what they wanted” - which in his case, was often a healthy dose of discipline.
He first attended Sir John Lillie Primary School not far from his home. During this time he was united with his sister Delsie Williams, who had been living in Jamaica. Until then, he had been used to the life of an only child and was therefore resentful at this skinny, rude interruption who had suddenly arrived to take over the spare room. However, this juvenile first impression evolved seamlessly into a sibling loyalty that would last well into their sixties and through to the end of his life, a bond smattered with bickering and laughter, love and unconditional support. The four were complete together, full of love and care, a familial oasis which still managed to flourish in a climate which was infamously harsh to people of the Caribbean diaspora.
By the time he reached St. Clement Danes, his secondary school, it became clear that he excelled in sports, competing in High Jump at a National Youth level. His pastimes were his passions, and so training came easily to him; you could often find him hanging out at the track with many of his athlete friends, including Harold Bridgeman and Linford Christie. He was a bright kid who didn’t have to try very hard - being a Jack of All Trades, he was good at most of the things he put his hand to. This would often nearly get him into trouble - being so smart, he’d often leave homework and studying to the last minute since it took so little effort - a habit he’d spend the rest of his life trying to unlearn. He remained fiercely curious about the world around him - poring over historic maps of places he knew growing up and engaging himself in topics as obscure as the Biafran War to the corruption and economic mismanagement of Haiti.
He discovered he had a particular aptitude for biological chemistry, and it was this he chose - along with German - for his higher education at Kingston Polytechnic. As an offshoot of this unusual combination of science nerd and athlete, he found himself straddling the two opposing worlds of science and academia, developing an unarguably distinctive personality which was hard to pin down. He had an interesting duality to his character. An aversion to social norms paired with an affinity for people from interesting and diverse backgrounds. An often difficult, exacting seriousness and a happy go lucky, childish charm. He could be over-concerned with detail, and yet be chronically late to almost every occasion.
His chemistry studies at University took him to Germany, where he continued to train in High Jump, clearing a personal best of 201 cm. He proceeded to his first line of post-academic employment at a laboratory, until returning back home to London for the birth of his daughter Janine.
Whilst having a daughter increased his level of responsibility, his passions remained in place. Wide and varied, his sporting achievements earned him hundreds of trophies, which filled his home from top to bottom. Here you could find evidence of all of his favourite activities, from swimming to trampoline, racquetball, tennis, table tennis, badminton, golf and rollerblading. His main awards came primarily from squash tournaments - having belonged to many different teams over the years. This was also where he met a large portion of his lifelong friends; Freddy, Busbee, Conrad and many others. He had been a member of the Fulham Basketball team, and took up the martial art of Wing Chun. He was also a member of the Brunswick Table Tennis Club until the end of his life, again becoming a valued part of the team and often winning tournaments. As she grew up, he’d often have Janine in tow with her books and toys, a little mascot on the sidelines.
His sense of youthfulness and enjoyment was enduring, and having a child only created more opportunity to play. Together, they’d dress up, create songs and videos together, play, dance and sing out loud. He also enjoyed salsa, bachata, and kizomba, and at university age, she’d still join him at his favourite venues to dance the night away.
During the 90’s tech boom, Wayne ventured into the world of computer science. He found that his nerdy hyper-focus was useful for independently learning languages such as Javascript and C++, giving him an edge in a newly burgeoning industry. 1988 was the year that he first began skiing with his friends Harold, Joanne, Franklin and Del, with whom he travelled throughout Europe and the USA, twice with Nubian Ski and almost yearly with SKIFEST - Britain’s two largest black skiing collectives where he met many treasured friends. He eventually switched to snowboarding, and never looked back.
Buppie life in the 90’s was a wonderful thing, and Wayne lived it to the fullest. However, he fell ill with an extremely rare case of endocarditis at the exact year that the dot com bubble burst, and in 2002 had his first of five heart surgeries over the course of his life, borrowing twenty years more time on earth. He weathered his condition with a trademark stubborn resilience, and unflappable humour; he continued on with his favourite sports, never stopped laughing and never ceased arguing with anyone and everyone over the minutiae of his particular principles. His social life remained as active as ever, and he refused to lower his quality of life, insisting instead on his sports every week, his nights out, and his excursions.
Over time, he began to watch his father - a gloriously independent, and community driven man - decline in health, whilst his mother - a devoted and loving wife - cared for him. After his sad passing in 2022, he travelled with Amy, Janine, Delsie and her daughter - his niece - Roshana to Jamaica to lay him to rest. There he reconnected with the many remaining family members he had met sporadically over the years - many of whom had produced generations of their own - and unknowingly said goodbye for the last time.
He was not to know that soon after, his heart condition would finally catch up to him. He left this world in the middle of a squash match - pursuing one of his greatest joys until the very end, and proved to be a great example of a human who reserved the right to enjoy his life until the very last moment.
He will be forever remembered by all who knew him - the mark he left was indelible. He was one of a kind, irreplaceable and has left a void that will never be filled. He is survived by his daughter Janine, his Mother Amy, his sister Delsie and his niece Roshana.