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Dr. Gregory Patrick Williams © Stephens-Key Funeral & Cremation Care Submitted by: Jo Aguirre
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Dr. Gregory Patrick Williams
January 19, 1947 - August 17, 2024
Gregory Patrick Williams, MD, passed away on August 17, 2024 at the age of 77, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in West Point, New York on January 19, 1947, the first born of Dr. Pat, MD, and Beth Williams. He was followed by his siblings Gayle, Ray, Ann, Donald, and Joe. Sadly, the family lost Ann shortly after birth and Donald to encephalitis at age 8. Greg remained close with his family his entire life, and as the oldest, he set a stellar example for his little brothers and sisters. During Greg's last days, while visiting him at the hospital, his brother Joe said, "He was always my hero." It's safe to say he was ours as well.
Greg grew up in West Texas, mainly in the small town of Spur, until his father, Dr. Pat, moved the family to Pryor, Oklahoma to practice with his good friend Dr. Paul Compton, when Greg was 14 years old. Greg never lost touch with his West Texas roots and kept a subscription to Texas Highways magazine and The Texas Spur newspaper until his dying day. However, Pryor had some benefits of its own, the primary one being the place where he met his high school sweetheart and future wife to be (with an assist from his sister Gayle) Connie Jo Coppinger.
Greg and Connie got married on May 25, 1968 while they were both still attending Oklahoma State University. Shortly after they completed their Bachelor's degrees from OSU, Greg joined the National Guard, while still in the process of applying to medical school. Greg was accepted to OU medical school while still in basic training, and with the help of his father and Governor Bartlett, he was allowed to attend and still complete his commitment to the National Guard.
In 1971, Greg and Connie had their first child, Ryan, while living in Oklahoma City. Greg graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine with the class of 1974. After a brief move to Tulsa and during his internship year at St. Johns Hospital, Greg decided to do family practice in Poteau, OK with Dr. Richard L. Winters, MD, in 1975. The family grew while in Poteau, where Greg and Connie added their daughters Megan in 1976 and Sarah in 1977. Although the family loved Poteau and the lifelong friends they made there, Greg decided that family practice (which at the time still included actual house calls anytime day or night and sometimes being paid with vegetables) wasn't the course he wanted to maintain. Greg moved the family back to Tulsa in 1979 for a year and worked as an emergency room doctor at St. Francis before being accepted for a Pathology Residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. The family spent four wonderful years there, split between Irving and Grand Prairie, TX, before returning to Tulsa in 1984, where Greg began his lifetime career as a pathologist with the South Tulsa Pathology group (later known as Tulsa Medical Laboratory), who worked with St Francis Hospital. Tulsa would remain the family home for the rest of Greg and Connie's lives.
In Tulsa, Greg worked for 30 years as a pathologist, raised his children, put them through college, put his wife through a EdD, participated in mission trips, gave to just about every worthy charity under the sun, taught his children to ski (water and snow), was present as a father and grandfather for everything, made a host of lifelong friends, was an active member of Boston Avenue Methodist Church, a longtime member of The Oaks Country Club, became president of his medical partnership, loved and nurtured Connie thru breast cancer and Alzheimer's, and was a pillar of support during the loss of his parents, brother in law, wife, and many close friends. Sadly, in 2017, Greg made the decision to move to Covenant Living at Inverness to help take care of Connie during her bout with Alzheimer's disease. He loved her more than words can describe to the very end and after. Greg had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease years before we discovered Connie was sick, and after 30 years of practice, he retired. At his retirement party, his family learned that the staff at the business office and lab had nicknamed him "Dr. Darling" due to his kindness, humor, generosity, and genuine care for and interest in his employees. Nobody who knew him was surprised by this at all.
Greg loved snow skiing, water skiing, fishing, golf, playing guitar, traveling with Connie (especially to Durango, CO) and their friends, spending time with family (especially the grandkids), crosswords, making people laugh, going to Oklahoma State football games with Connie and their wonderful friends Nick and Jeannine Hunter, helping others, reading, cowboy poetry, and music (especially John Prine). Greg's life was always directed by his love for others, and if he knew you were reading this, he would want you to know that he "loves you more than you know."
Greg was preceded in death by his wife, Connie Williams, parents, Dr. Pat Williams and Beth Jacobs, brother, Donald Williams, sister, Ann Williams, and brother-in-law, Joe Lowery. He is survived by his sister, Gayle Freeman and husband Currey of Bradenton, FL; brother Ray Williams and wife Tree of Pryor, OK; brother Joe Williams and wife Patsy of Amarillo, TX; his children Ryan Williams and wife Laura of Tulsa; Megan Linn of Tulsa, and Sarah West and husband Paul of Tulsa; his grandchildren Paige and Maggie Linn and Walker and Grayson West; his sister-in-law Carol Lowery of Tulsa; his mother-in-law Velma Coppinger of Tulsa, and several nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association and/or the Parkinson's Association. The family extends special gratitude to all the staff at Inverness Covenant Living for providing care the last few years, and especially to Shay, Lexi, Margo, Shannon, Mimi, Glenda and Dasia, who watched over him when we could not.
A funeral service will be held at Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 7, 2024 at 2:00pm.
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