The estate of Vietnam War veteran Steven Williams contributed more than $4 million toward the Minnesota Veterans Home in Montevideo and made possible a community center inside.

By Tom Cherveny

West Central Tribune 

MONTEVIDEO – Steven J. Williams trudged through the swamps and jungles of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam during intense fighting in 1968, often walking point as part of the Army’s 3rd Ranger Company.

When his deployment ended, a plane dropped him off in Minneapolis and he hitchhiked home to his parents home in Clarkfield in western Minnesota. A short news blurb in the Clarkfield Advocate told of how he surprised his folks and had returned from service in Vietnam.

That was about all that was said then of the serviceman awarded a Bronze Star, but the memory of the deceased veteran will now be kept for a very long time, and in a very prominent way.

“He’d probably be mad at me,” said Jim Williams, his brother, when asked what Steven might think of how he will be remembered. 

Steven Williams wasn’t someone who wanted attention, explained his brother, but the Steven Williams Community Center in the newly-opened Minnesota Veterans Home in Montevideo will get it. The spacious center is designed as a place where community members and veterans can join with the residents who will soon by residing in the home to play cards, hold events and just have fun.

It’s all fitting, according to Jim Williams, who led a group of former friends of his brother on a tour of the new facility on Jan. 2.

Steven Williams died unexpectedly on March 14, 2018 at age 70 in Henderson, Nevada, where he was living after retiring from a 30 plus years career with Hormel. At his funeral service at the Southern Nevada Memorial Cemetery, Jim Williams said a man seated on the edge of the crowd stood up and said to him: “Welcome home, brother.”

 “‘You’re brother never got a welcome home. I‘m here to give it,’” Williams said the stranger told him. He wanted to make sure all Vietnam veterans received the welcome home they never got, said Williams.

A character, is how Byron Handeland and other friends of Steven Williams remember him best. “A colorful guy,” said friend Duane Anderson, chuckling.

The friends were very close. They talked about one friend who joined the service after learning Williams had been drafted in hopes of serving alongside him. The buddy got into an airborne unit on the belief that is where Williams was to serve.

“Next thing, Wayne says I’m jumping out of air planes and Steve never went airborne,” said Handeland as the group of buddies laughed at the memory. They were speaking of Wayne Johnson, who had joined them when the veteran’s home was dedicated, but has since passed on. He was buried holding a military-issue  Zippo lighter that had belonged to Steven Williams as a memento of their friendship.

They chatted about Williams and looked at letters he had written to his friend, Handeland while in Vietnam. The letters from the Mekong Delta spoke of the hardships, but also of his pride. “Forever USA” he scribed at the bottom of one of the letters that the friends looked over on a table in the new community room.

A banner on the wall there proclaimed “Welcome Home, brother” and featured photos of Williams from his days in the service.

After returning home, Williams earned a degree at Southwest State University and began a career in sales with Hormel. It brought him to locations around the country. He invested wisely, although none of his friends knew how well. His estate was valued at over $14 million.

He was very frugal, said his friends. They laughed at how he kept ketchup and mayo packets from fast food restaurants in the fridge, and used coupons for 99 cent breakfasts at casinos. After retiring, he took a part time job with a golf course to get free green fees, they laughed. Golfing was his passion.

Jim Williams said he had read about efforts in Montevideo to build a veterans home, and mentioned it to his brother at one point. His brother asked him to keep him informed, telling him that it was definitely something he was interested in.

Steven Williams asked that his estate be distributed charitable organizations, and especially, those helping veterans. 

After his brother’s death, William said the idea of supporting the veteran’s home in Montevideo seemed appropriate. Supporting the construction of a community center in it made sense as well.

Jim Williams said his father, Donavan, had muscular dystrophy. He remained at home into his 80’s, but Jim recalled how his brother, Steven once mentioned how nice it would have been had their mother, Vera, been able to drop him off during the day at a place where he could visit and play cards with friends. 

The Steven J. Williams estate was able to bequest over $4 million for the veterans home project, and make the community center a possibility. The donation was included with other local contributions and matched by state and federal funds, making the overall impact over $12 million, said Jim Williams.

In the community center made possible by the contribution, Steven Williams friends looked over the letters their friend had written while in Vietnam, and shared stories of their shenanigans with their friend. “It doesn’t seem that long ago,” said Handeland. 

One theme prevailed among the friends when it came to Steven Williams. “He was proud of his country. I’ll tell you that,” said his brother.

Tom Cherveny is a reporter for the West Central Tribune.