UPDATED Dec. 12, 2025, 11:58 p.m. ET
DeWitt S. Williams, former director of North American Division Health Ministries, passed to his rest on November 17, 2025, about one month after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was 86.
“Dr. Williams was the epitome of a Christian gentleman. He truly lived his faith. His impact on our Church and world through excellent and exceptional service will last for generations,” said G. Alexander Bryant, NAD president. “His heart and soul were fully devoted to encouraging people to have healthier and spiritually fulfilling lives in this life. He will be greatly missed.”
Until recently, Williams continued to practice what he preached, including vegetarianism and walking two miles each day.
Williams worked for almost 50 years in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, serving as a pastor, missionary, and health director. Born into an Adventist family in 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he devoted his life to ministry, education, and health advocacy within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Over the course of his career, he traveled to more than 100 countries and all 50 states, lecturing about the importance of good health and adopting healthful habits. Williams wrote or co-authored nine books, including She Fulfilled the Impossible Dream: The Story of Eva B. Dykes and Energized! Of note, Dykes was the first Black woman in America to earn a Ph.D. degree.
He retired from full-time work in 2010, after serving from 1990 to 2010 as NAD Health Ministries (then Health and Temperance department) director. While there, Williams led initiatives that promoted vegetarianism, tobacco-free living, and community wellness across North America. Throughout his life, he also wrote many articles on these topics, encouraging people toward Adventism and spiritually and physically healthful lives. During his NAD tenure, Williams combined his passion for health and service as an advocate for public wellness in Philadelphia, advising civic leaders and witnessing President Barack Obama’s 2009 signing of the FDA tobacco regulation at the White House.
Earlier, from 1983 to 1990, he was associate director of the General Conference Health Ministries (then GC Health and Temperance department), traveling extensively to share health principles around the world. Williams previously served as president of the Central Africa Union in Burundi (1979-1982), associate director of the General Conference Communication department (1974-1979), and president of the West Congo Field in Kinshasa, where he became the first Black leader to hold that position.
Williams began his ministry as a pastor in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, after graduating from Oakwood University (then Oakwood College) in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in theology. He followed with a master’s degree in systematic theology from Andrews University. Williams was awarded a fellowship in African linguistics and completed a doctorate in education and linguistics at Indiana University in 1975. Later, he received a Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University, expanding his influence in the field of health education.
In 1962, he married Margaret Norman, and together they raised two daughters. Williams, an avid exerciser and marathon runner, significantly reduced his consumption of sugary, processed foods later in his life and maintained excellent health until his recent diagnosis. Williams lived this belief that he shared in a 2023 Adventist Review article, “Temperance or self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and a gift from God (Gal. 5:23). God is willing to give us this gift if we ask Him for it. We need a power that comes from above to help us implement our knowledge.”
Williams was preceded in death by Margaret (Nov. 7, 2015) to whom he was married for 54 years. He is survived by daughters Deitrice Chapman and Darnella Williams; son-in-law Cedric Chapman; and grandson Neil Chapman.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., at the Emmanuel-Brinklow Seventh-day Adventist Church located in Ashton, Maryland. The service will be live-streamed on the Emmanuel-Brinklow channel. Please pray for the Williams family.
