John Gerard Williams, 67, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, husband of Emily Bull Williams, entered into eternal rest on Monday, December 22, 2025. His memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in the J. Henry Stuhr Inc. Mount Pleasant Chapel 1494 Mathis Ferry Road, Mount Pleasant. Visitation will take place one hour prior.
John was born on August 18, 1958, in Raleigh, North Carolina, son of the late Ransome Jack Williams and the late Carmen Rios Williams.
He graduated from The Citadel with both an undergraduate (’81) and graduate (’97) degrees and was a lifetime member of The Citadel Alumni Association.
As a certified financial planner, John had the opportunity to teach a class to his clients and discovered a love for teaching. In talking with his family and friends, he was encouraged to become a teacher and a new career began.
While working for Charleston County School District, he was one of the founding educators to bring cybersecurity classes to South Carolina. He helped write the cybersecurity instruction standards for the state. In the first year, his students took 1st and 3rd in the state competition and 5th in the nation.
In 2017, John started teaching at Whale Branch Early College High School in Beaufort County as an instructor of IT and Computer Science. He loved teaching there and felt it was his home. Seeing his students’ eyes light up with understanding was the best part. He worked to make learning fun and was known to toss candy to his students for participation.
Some of his professional achievements include:
Nomination for the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award
2023- Selected as GenCyber Instructor with MedTech-7 Program Grant
2024 — Received the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA) Scholarship Award
Certified Instructor for Project Lead the Way Computer Science Digital Equipment and Cyber Security
Coach for US Cyber Patriot Competitions
A life-long Episcopalian, John found strength and community in his faith. He was known for his love of food and cooking, Sci Fi movies, and reading, as well as being a hunter and avid conservationist.
He is survived by his wife, Emily B. Williams of Mount Pleasant, SC.
Memorials may be made to The Citadel Alumni Association, 69 Hagood Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403 or Ducks Unlimited South Carolina https://www.ducks.org/get-involved/memorial-giving.