Daniel Knight Williams

Daniel Knight Williams, 38, of Athens, Georgia, left this earth on Tuesday, January 12th, 2021.

He is survived by his loving wife, Melissa Lee; his beloved dog, Hubble Van Zandt; his mother, Terri (Dan) Davis; his sister, Anna Ruth Williams; his grandmother, Evelyn Cassell; his aunts and uncles, Don (Sarah) Cassell, Kim (Ron) Strauss, and Tim (Stephanie) Cassell; his cousins, Thomas, Will, Stuart, Nicholas, Julian, and James Cassell, Scott (Robbi-Anne) Strauss, Tyler (Elizabeth) Daniels, JD Daniels, and Amanda Daniels Brooks; his in-laws, George and Lynn Lee and Mary Beth (Dutch) Guest; his niece and nephew, Sarah Beth and Mack; his bandmates, Will (Emily) Ruff, Ian (Chelsey) Hennessee, Zachary (Emily) Hennessee, and Trey (Kathryn) Gibbs, and countless others who played with him on a regular basis and in years past; his dear friends, Dustin (Kathryn) Crawford, Andrew (Amanda) Tate, and David and Natalie Yasson; and cherished connections from childhood, college, and his young adult life. He is preceded in death by his father, Reverend Mike Williams, and grandfather Don Cassell.

Daniel (Dan) was born in East Point, Georgia, on April 7, 1982 and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. The Rocket City was the perfect place for his boy to grow up. He attended Space Camp and performed numerous physics and science experiments that were occasionally at the expense of his sister’s toys. Dan had a beautiful, unique singing voice and began his lifetime of performing for others with his childhood boy band; they wore silky shorts and covered Boyz II Men songs. He excelled at writing through the Grissom High School newspaper and never took the road most traveled. Prom? No way. He attended concerts on those evenings instead. Dan pursued a life of asking questions and seeking answers. He was a gifted student and attended Berry College on the competitive merit-and-work-based Founders Scholarship. When he wasn’t skipping class to attend concerts, he was a fierce debater and thoughtful contributor to his religion and government classes. Dan took pride in organizing student events and making lifelong friendships with classmates and professors. He even spent a summer as a SOAR leader, welcoming new students into the Berry Community.

In his adult life, Dan earned a Masters of Public Administration from Georgia State University and maintained a fifteen-year career in public service spanning the Division of Family and Children Services, Habitat for Humanity, Leadership Atlanta, Central Atlanta Progress, and most recently, University of Georgia Public Service and Outreach. Dan was an advocate for people on a macro level; he believed in the value of community and the powerful effect that collective care for our fellow man can have on one another and the planet. He believed it so strongly that he rarely valued tangible things. He was an avid recycler, preferred pre-owned anything, and his most treasured items were experiences shared with loved ones and strangers alike. People fascinated Dan, and he fascinated people. He was intentional in his interaction with everyone he met, and his gift giving included concerts or festival tickets, performances of his own music, and parties for which he carefully planned both the menu and ambiance. These moments were always made better by his hilarious, yet sometimes rambling, storytelling. You see, Dan’s ability to connect with others meant that every day was a story worth telling. He won a high school journalism award for exposing hazing culture in the Greek system, he befriended an eccentric neighbor—Mr. Imagination—who later became an established outsider artist, he got a black eye from dancing too hard to Thundercat, he walked miles in the mud to what was supposed to be the last Phish show ever (sike, it was not), he saw untapped potential in a busker in New Orleans and paid for his bus ticket to visit Atlanta, he convinced Furry convention attendees to invite him to their private party so he could learn more about their subculture, he brought a chainsaw to work to collect limbs that had fallen during a storm (to later smoke the most perfect BBQ), he swore he was once quite close to accidentally leaping off the edge of Jordan-Hare when the Auburn Tigers made a miracle play, he later leaped into a lake while watching another miracle play from his beloved Tigers, and he genuinely made every single day funnier and more meaningful for those around him.

More privately, Dan had a tender and gentle heart. When he met his wife, Melissa, at a Jerry Garcia Band Cover Band show in 2014, her worldview was forever changed. She flippantly joked with her friends that evening that Dan had “the look of love in his eyes.” After several months of pursuit, Dan won her heart when he agreed to take her to a late-night art performance at the Goat Farm Art Center in Atlanta. Since then, the two shared dreams of a world filled with love and acceptance. They created a life of advocacy for the arts, reproductive justice, freedom from religion, civil liberties, and criminal justice reform. Dan awakened the root of Melissa’s creative spirit, and he emboldened her to live in a way that she always wanted but was unable to envision clearly before. They care for one another endlessly and feel incredibly spoiled to have stumbled upon and fallen in love with what they believe is the best person they ever met.

The breadth of Dan’s impact on the lives of others is broad, but his closest friends and family felt his spirit of generosity the most. He could be messy, and he didn’t necessarily know how to dress for an occasion, but he was dependable, loving, and kind. Whether he was cheering on the Tigers or an Atlanta sports team (except the Braves—they were annexed from his life after moving beyond the Perimeter), ensuring that brides had the best reception possible with his band, breathing new life into old tunes with his soulful voice and skilled picking, working passionately to make his community stronger, or choosing what movie to watch that would make his wife feel better after a long day, he lived his life for the benefit of others.

Dan’s legacy will thrive through the way he embraced the beauty of each individual he loved. He viewed life differently, and it was impossible to leave a conversation with him without some change in your worldview, too. His family asks that everyone honor his spirit by being gentle with yourself and taking care of your fellow man. Ask questions, listen to more interesting and complex music beyond the purpose of “it making you feel happy,” stand up to injustice, live in the moment, and enjoy a drink (or a joint) with the people you value the most. The community that you build for yourself is the strongest community you need.

A virtual memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, January 17th from 7-8PM. A more appropriate celebration of life will take place this summer when it is safe to connect in-person.

In lieu of flowers, please support a cause that was meaningful to Dan, as he did consistently throughout his life. Great options include the following: The Daniel Knight Williams Memorial Fund (to support a public service cause near to his heart) give.uga.edu/dan-williams; The Gateway Center (to end homelessness) https://www.gatewayctr.org/donate/; Nuci’s Space (our local advocate for mental health and suicide awareness, centered around musicians) https://www.nuci.org/