During his three-plus decades as president of Citizens Bank, Henry M. "Chip" Williamson helped countless people in the Columbia community, not just as a banker, but also as a friend.
Greg Prine, owner of Beacon Supply Co. and a longtime friend and customer of Mr. Williamson's, said he can't count the number of times he sat down in Mr. Williamson's office and heard him say, "I want to see you happy. I want to see you succeed. I want to see you blessed by the Lord, and I want to know how I can help."
Mr. Williamson, 65, died Tuesday following a long battle with cancer.
The Columbia native was a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in accounting and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He began his banking career in 1976 and joined Citizens in 1986, becoming president in 1989.
Citizens Bank CEO Lee Fedric said Mr. Williamson was a "tremendous lender" who always led the bank as far as loan production and his business relationships in the community.
"He and Citizens Bank are kind of just one together," Fedric said. "He was so active in the community and represented the bank so well."
Fedric remembered Mr. Williamson as a strong people person and family man and said he was very involved at Columbia Academy, running the chain gang at football games for many years. He also loved the outdoors and hunting.
Mr. Williamson had battled pancreatic cancer for 8.5 years, including all of the 7.5 years that Fedric has worked with him. He said Mr. Williamson loved Citizens Bank and continued to work even when he really didn't have to.
"He was the toughest, most persistent person when it came to battling (cancer)," Fedric said. "He always had a positive attitude."
State Rep. Ken Morgan said Mr. Williamson was working at Foxworth Bank when they first met and that the two became friends and went on hunting and fishing trips through the years.
Morgan said he would go by Mr. Williamson's office just to talk and said Mr. Williamson always gave honest advice to people coming in wanting to buy something.
"Can you afford that?" Morgan recalls with a chuckle Mr. Williamson asking them. "He was that kind of fellow. He was just good as gold."
Prine said Mr. Williamson had been his banker from his very first small loan in about 1980 through when he bought and ran his business.
He recalled how Mr. Williamson would give him wise counsel as both a banker and a friend.
"He was a problem solver," Prine said. "He would tell you his opinion, and it was very good advice."
They went on annual hunting trips to Illinois, and Mr. Williamson even helped introduce Prine to Prine's wife.
Even when Mr. Williamson was sick in the last months of his life, Prine said Mr. Williamson's focus was always on how he could help someone else.
"I would just hope that I could ever be half the blessing to others that he was," Prine said.
A private funeral service was held Friday at Woodlawn Church with burial following in Floral Hills Memorial Garden in Gulfport. A celebration of life service will be held in the near future.
Survivors include his wife, Leitha Williamson of Columbia; son, Scott Williamson (Heather) of Columbia; daughter, April Rose (Jeremy) of Biloxi; and five grandchildren.
