Julius John Williams, Jr.

Julius John Williams, Jr., entrepreneur and lover of sports, politics, and all things Chicago, died August 18, 2020. He was 71. Born in Chicago, Illinois at Cook County Hospital, Julius was the oldest of five children. He attended Parkman Elementary school, located on the South Side of Chicago, from kindergarten through third grade until the family moved to Gary, Indiana. Julius grew up in a large, close family, as his mother was one of 11 children. He spent much of his time with ‘the cousins,' who grew up more like brothers and sisters - gathering at picnics and barbecues, holidays and sleep overs; playing cards; going to the movies; or just sitting on the porch hanging out on a summer night. His Aunt Yvonne gave all of the children nicknames from the 1950s TV show Howdy Doody. She named Julius Dilly Dally - and the nickname "Dilly" stuck with him throughout his life. Julius attended Thomas Edison High School in Gary, Indiana where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He loved living in Tarrytown in Gary, Indiana and maintained a lifelong attachment and commitment to that community. It was there that he also met his future wife, Linda Washington. He graduated in 1967. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1974 from Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana. There, during the fall of 1971, he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Zeta Rho Chapter. His pledge line was named the ‘Dirty Dozen'; his pledge names were ‘The Rock' and ‘Noble Alpha'. Julius also helped create the University's Black Student Union and was its program director. After graduating from college, Julius married Linda Washington and with their baby daughter, Dionne, they moved to Tampa, Florida, where Julius worked for Hillsborough County. When he and his family returned to Chicago several years later, Julius worked for Prudential Insurance company and served alongside his beloved uncle Eugene Barnes working in local government. In 1982, they added Leslie, their second daughter, to the family. Always an athlete, he spent much of his free time playing tennis and golf. He ultimately turned his passion for sports into a career and opened a sporting goods franchise, Sport-About, that gave him opportunities to make connections with all kinds of teams to sell them uniforms and imprint tee shirts. The family unit dissolved after 16 years of marriage. Julius went on to continue to coach and mentor young athletes. He worked in K-12 education as a basketball coach for Harvard Elementary school in Chicago, where he ran the Biddy Basketball youth program. Julius continued to work in sports, local government, and education throughout the Chicagoland area and the Northwest Indiana region until his retirement. Over the years, he never met a stranger, and he touched the lives of everyone he met. Julius is preceded in death by his father, Julius John Williams, Sr., his mother, Montee Barnes Williams, and his sister, Celeste Williams Kenney. He is survived by his two daughters Dionne C. Clemons, Ph.D. (Lenwood), Leslie Guimon (Martyn), three grandchildren, Olivia, Cecilia, and Samantha, his former spouse Linda Elaine, his siblings Sharon, Darrell, and Tyrone; and uncles, aunts, cousins in abundance. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be sent in Julius's name to Chicago AA, Area 19 Alcoholics Anonymous at www.chicagoaa.org, or to Indiana State University's Charles E. Brown African American Cultural Center - https://www.indstate.edu/student-affairs/aacc. For further information or to send condolences to the family, visit https://leakandsonsfuneralhomes.com.