Jeffrey Allen Williams, 70, of Columbus, OH passed away July 20, 2025, at Riverside Methodist Hospital surrounded by his family following a brief illness.  Born on December 27, 1954, in Zanesville, OH, he was the eldest son of Stanley E. Williams, Sr. and Shirley A. (Hinkston) Williams.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 39 years, Mary Margaret (Straight) Williams, daughter Abby L. Goudy (Chad), son Matthew Allen Williams, sisters Dianna L. Finnigan (John) and Gale A. (Williams) Thompson, younger brother Stanley E. Williams, Jr. and stepmother Betty (Gill) Williams.  Also, he leaves behind three grandchildren, Lucy, Luke and Zoey Goudy along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by both parents, a sister Becky Sue and daughter Katie Jean.

A member of the Class of 1973 from West Muskingum High School in Zanesville, Jeff was voted "Most Handsome Guy" and "Best Smile" by his classmates.  He then attended The Ohio State University and remained in Columbus the rest of his life.  He studied landscape architecture/horticulture and enjoyed spending time outdoors tending to his plants and grooming the yard.  He enjoyed sharing his homegrown grapes and strawberries with the neighbors, and he would take several hours over several days to proudly create one gallon of grape juice that was shared with Abby's family. That made it all worth it!

He retired as Executive Vice President from GreenScapes Landscape Co. after 21 years.  Prior to that he held a similar position at Peabody Landscape Group for many years. Before following his passion for plants, Jeff worked in the restaurant industry, and at Papa Joe's Pizza where he met Mary in 1978. Jeff loved to cook and took great pride in hosting Thanksgiving every year for his family.

Jeff was very patriotic, and he loved fireworks. For over 3 decades, his family spent every July 3rd at "Red, White, and Kerns", at the home of our dear friends, Tom and Cathleen Kerns.  There wasn't a better backyard firework display in the city, and Jeff was expected to bring his homemade chicken and noodles every year!

He would begin planning our annual vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC every year right after Christmas. It helped us look forward to Spring. On several of those trips, we would spend time scoring brackets for the NCAA Basketball Tournament for Jeff's annual "J-Dubs NCAA March Madness".  He loved it!

Jeff liked to stay busy in retirement. Over the last several years, he worked at the Ohio State Fair (Gate 9) directing traffic at the livestock entrance.  He loved giving friends and family daily reports on which animals were arriving at the fair, and which ones were leaving.  A lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, he also loved watching the Buckeyes.

Jeff will be missed by many who knew him for his big heart, beautiful smile, his thoughtfulness, and his caring and unselfish compassion for others.

Myers-Woodyard Funeral Home - Groveport Chapel, 587 Main St. Groveport, OH is handling the arrangements with Pastor Ben Webster officiating.  Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, July 28th with another visitation from 10-11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29th prior to the funeral service at 11 a.m.  Immediately following the service, a graveside ceremony will be held at Union Grove Cemetery, 400 Winchester Cemetery Road, Canal Winchester, OH.