Henry "Hank" G. Williams Jr.

Henry (Hank) G. Williams, Jr.

Henry Gerald Williams, Jr. (Hank) was born on April 13, 1950, in Cleveland, Ohio to Ruth and Henry Williams, Sr.

He attended Glenville High School in Cleveland and began his broadcast career in the mail room of WKBF-TV Channel 61 but soon worked his way up to reporter and assistant producer. With a voice for radio, he shifted to become a news announcer for AM radio stations in Cleveland and at New York’s WBLS-FM & WLIB-AM and later rose to news management in Hartford, CT and Detroit.

He returned to TV to join the CBS affiliate in Detroit as a producer & assignment editor. He then joined WKBD-TV Channel 50 where he eventually became managing editor and helped the station win “best newscast” in Detroit three years in a row.

In 1994, he joined Fox TV’s flagship station as executive producer in NYC. In 1996 when he moved to Englewood, NJ, he joined cable TV’s News 12 New Jersey as assistant news director before retiring in 2003.

As a respected newsman, covering stories and managing news teams in multiple markets, he was a man of integrity. He always stood up for truth and fairness. In the newsroom and beyond, his soulful laughter was a legendary light that could fill the room and make everyone feel good.

He was a member of the National Association of Minority Media Executives and the National Association of Black Journalists. It was at the 1990 NABJ convention in LA where he met his future wife and soulmate Tara. They married in 2000 and shared a special bond enduring through multiple medical challenges and resulting in travel being a priority. In attempting to visit every Caribbean Island in wintertime, they discovered St. Croix and Key West were their favorites.

His pride and joy was his family of three daughters and five grandchildren, three sisters and two brothers, many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was always there with love, support and encouragement and delighted in time spent with family. In Detroit, he was committed to protecting and serving the Jefferson-Chalmers Community. In addition, he was a liturgist with the Jefferson Avenue United Methodist Church.

He loved football, playing in a semi-professional league in his youth, and cheering on Ohio State, his Cleveland Browns and adopted team, the NY Jets. Some of his favorite pastimes were listening to music and sometimes singing or whistling to his favorite tunes, watching movies, TV dramas and westerns (“Gunsmoke,” in particular, since Marshall Matt Dillon stood for law & order and fairness).

Though he is no longer with us, the strength, love and infectious laughter he brought to this world will remain in the hearts of all who knew him. He was a strong foundation and source of unshakable strength for family, friends and colleagues. His wisdom, compassion and joy were a steady presence for all. In a word, he was an inspiration.

He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife, Tara. Two daughters, Lisa (Clifford) and Jeremi. Five grandchildren, Monequa (Elena), Jeremiah, Khaleef, Jevin and Jewelius. One brother, James, one brother-in-law, Mark (Michelle), two sisters-in-law Betty and Allison, and many special nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Loved ones who preceded him in death include both parents Ruth and Henry; one brother, Wayne Williams; three sisters, Victoria Jones, Ernestine Washington and Annetta Cothron; one daughter, Lois.

Memorial contributions to honor Hank’s sense of justice and fairness may be made to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund:  https://naacpldf.org/

The family will receive friends on Friday, January 3, 2025, from 4-8 p.m. at the Frank A. Patti Funeral Home, 327 Main Street, Fort Lee. The family invites all to gather beginning at 10:30 am Saturday, January 4 at the funeral home in advance of the Celebration of Life which will begin at 11 am.