Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
"We are devastated at the loss of one so young. He was filled with passion for the sport and for the club."
LLOYD WILLIAMS, assistant coach of Wray and Nephew National Premier League club Village United, is dead.
The 44-year-old yesterday lost his long fight against kidney failure at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), where he has been a patient for close to a month.
His death follows that of another prominent football personality, former national goalkeeper Orville Edwards, to a similar condition. Edwards died on Thursday last.
Williams was first admitted to the hospital after suffering a stroke. That first stroke was followed by another just under two weeks ago, which affected the left side of his body. That stroke was followed by another which put him in a non-responsive state.
The death of Williams, the longest serving member of the Village coaching staff, has left a pall of gloom over the club.
"We are devastated at the loss of one so young. He was filled with passion for the sport and for the club. He served us with all his heart. The management and team members are anguishing at his passing," a grieving Steve Bennett, president of the club, said.
Linnel McLean, president of the Trelawny Football Association and the man credited with reviving football in the parish, said Williams' passing was a huge loss to the club and the parish.
"He was really a nice and pleasant guy who really loved football and it may have contributed to his death as, based on his condition, he should have left it a long time ago," McLean reflected.
Williams first attached himself to Village United as a goalkeeper/coach and became assistant to the likes of Geoffrey Maxwell, Albert Mayr and Marvin Tate who he eventually took over from in June 2003, three months after learning that his kidneys no longer functioned.
Despite twice weekly dialysis treatment, Williams, a firm believer in God, carried out his job without complaint and even guided the team to the semi-finals of the 2003-2004 Wray and Nephew National Premier League.
He was made assistant to Dr. Dean Weatherly for the 2004-2005 when the club decided to reduce his workload.
