Middletown vigil honors late state Rep. Quentin Williams - Middletown Press

Jan. 7, 2023

State constabulary accidental the different driver, who was besides killed, was traveling connected the road successful the incorrect direction.

Hundreds gathered quietly, glowing candles successful hand, to collectively mourn Williams’ decease arsenic his colleagues and beloved friends took the microphone to stock their recollections.

By each accounts, Williams, who besides served arsenic metropolis treasurer and  commissioner of readying and zoning, had a dazzling grin that instantly endeared radical to him and his causes, and a contagious, ebullient laugh.

Evelyn Oliver Knight of Waterbury, president of the Greater Waterbury Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, came to grant Williams, a subordinate of Alpha Phi Alpha, which is portion of the “Divine Nine” intercollegiate, historically African American, Greek fraternities and sororities.

Knight’s lad and Williams took their pledges together, she said, and “were famously close. My lad has a spread successful his heart, and asked maine to come."

Divine Nine members, some nationally and internationally, heed a telephone for nationalist service, “stellar” acquisition and to assistance 1 another, she said. “Q was that idiosyncratic successful and of himself,” added Knight, who said she volition miss Williams’ “effervescent, megawatt smile.

“It wasn’t sometime — it was each the time,” Knight pointed out. “That was his tone — that was who helium was.”

Middletown Common Council Majority Leader Gene Nocera was the politician’s main astatine Bielefield Elementary School. “I deliberation of Q arsenic my student. He came successful arsenic a kindergartner. I knew close distant helium was special. … He was a small powerhouse,” Nocera recalled.

The Rev. Moses Harvill, pastor of Cross Street AME Zion Church, and William’s “spiritual mentor,” led the assemblage successful prayer. “We are each shocked and saddened,” helium told the crowd.

“He was truthful loved, and helium gave truthful overmuch of himself, selfless successful work and serving people: making a existent quality successful our assemblage and beyond,” the reverend said.

Harvill attended a gathering successful Ansonia, adjacent New Haven, a fewer months back, and met an idiosyncratic who asked if helium was from Middletown.

“Yes,” helium replied.

“‘Q was conscionable present a fewer months ago!’” Harvill said the idiosyncratic exclaimed. “I said ‘I’m his pastor,’ and they took a representation of maine with him and Q,” helium said, marveling astatine Williams’ popularity.

Laughter past passed similar a question done the crowd.

Williams’ person P.J. took the stage, surrounded by respective friends who huddled arsenic helium spoke. “I tin representation him close now, tears successful his eyes, thorax pumped,” helium said, his dependable rising, imagining Williams yelling “Let’s go!”

“I can’t retrieve the infinitesimal of gathering Q,” helium explained. “I conscionable remember, astatine 1 constituent successful sixth grade, helium was my brother. It was similar that from time one."

“In each of his interactions with people, Q would inquire them, ‘what tin I bash to help?’ It perplexed maine arsenic a 13-, 14-year-old kid, seeing different 14-year-old asking a teacher, asking a coach, a assemblage person ‘what tin I bash to help?’” P.J. said.

“That’s who helium was … It wasn’t conscionable an idle question,” helium continued. “No substance what the reply was, helium was already formulating a program to enactment connected that. And if helium couldn’t bash it himself, helium would nonstop you the due resources oregon radical to get it done.”

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, a nonmigratory and metropolis native, said she’d conscionable finished the publication “The Light We Carry” by Michelle Obama. “Most of america connected a bully time are a 50 watt lightbulb,” she said, calling Williams an “incandescent light. He was conscionable truthful extraordinarily bright."

“Seventy-five percent of it was those beauteous achromatic teeth and that stunning smile. He was specified a shiny, dapper dresser, too,” she added. 
Williams, the lieutenant politician shared, was pupil of the twelvemonth successful 5th grade: “He was precise arrogant of being a Bielefield Bobcat,” she said, arsenic a cheer erupted from the crowd.

“Q was similar household to me,” said authorities State Sen. Matt Lesser, a decades-long person of the lawmaker. “More than immoderate idiosyncratic I’ve ever met, Q had a superpower, which is that helium could marque the radical astir him — implicit strangers, radical he’s known for years, everybody astir him — happy,” Lesser said. 

“I deliberation it’s casual to deliberation that, due to the fact that helium was joking and had a batch that we volition retrieve for decades, that helium was not a superior person, but helium was a precise superior person.

“He was committed to justice, to the radical of this city,” Lesser explained, pointing retired however Williams was instrumental successful advocating for aged residents of a Middletown flat analyzable who objected to their rents being raised. “He went and passed a instrumentality to support those tenants and to little the rent. He cared passionately,” the legislator said.

“It’s due to the fact that of his mother’s support, love, sacrifice and religion that Q is the antheral helium is,” Williams’ person and assemblage organizer Sasha Armstrong Crockett said of Queen Williams.

“He’s your son, but Middletown is besides claiming him arsenic our son,” Crockett said, warring backmost tears.

A website has been acceptable up by the metropolis for radical to explicit their condolences with photographs and memories. “Share your stories, your emotion of this incredible, shooting star,” Lesser said. Information volition yet beryllium gathered into a book.

For information, sojourn rememberingq.com.