Kim Williams
7th December 1972 - 27th February 2021
Kim Williams
7th December 1972 - 27th February 2021
Always loved, never forgotton
Always loved, never forgotton
I come home from the soaring in which I lost myself.
I was song, and the refrain which is God
is still roaring in my ears.
Now I am still and plain:
no more words.
I’d gone very far, as far as the angels,
and high, where light thins into nothing.
But deep in the darkness is God.
Rilke
Go well, my darling boy, you are so loved. Thank you for the gift of your life. Until we meet again, may you be held in the quiet hand of God.
- Mum
I would not creep along the coast but steer out in mid-sea, by guidance of the stars.
My brother taught us to be brave.
He taught us to be adventurous.
He taught us his love of the mountains.
And now when we climb,
it will be in the hope of finding Kim there.
- Susan
My wisest friend
- without saying a word
- Maya
Kim
Rich the fertile soil
whence came that sturdy branch…
flowering, a quiet and gentle pinnacle of life,
for joy, high among the haughty mountain rocks, did go
until, one summer’s day, they swiftly took his life away
and made a grievous loss
for those who loved him so
and hardest then, to understand
his fresh, eternal role.
BHR 30/2/21
- Bruce
On this climb, which I was leading, I suffered the same humiliation as many of you have - that of meeting Kim on the way down the mountain, as the rest of us were wearily still making our way up
- Richard
For you I'd wait 'til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say, you'll come and set me free
Just say, you'll wait, you'll wait for me
- Your brother, Murray
This picture has a funny story
- Paddy
Never assuming, always humble
Always just there, no matter the occasion
- Dan
Dear Kim
I will miss our early morning scrambles on the
mountain and will always keep you close
- Markie
I treasure every moment I was with you,
simply being with you. I will miss you so much
- Rory
Uncle, godfather, mentor, supporter
and my best friend forever - I love you
- Nic
Go in peace with our love dearest Kim. Your brave and bright light will shine in our hearts forever.
- Brigid
You will miss him forever.
That is his immortality.
And when he comes to you in your dreams it will be so wonderful to be with him again
Gallery
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A gentle soul, and a gentleman, who exuded peace, calm, generosity of spirit. RIP dear Kim.
Our lives crossed as Producer’s and I enjoyed chatting with Kim about it. We met several times over many years, spying him cycling in Tamboerskloof (Kim was superbly fit) and each year when Kim acted as moderater in exit level exams for Producer electives at CityVarsity. So sad a loss for family, and friends. Kim’s spirit lives on in our eternal Table Mountain.
I can just picture Kim today – looking out the window, cursing the wet weather, just itching to get up the mountain again.
Sincere condolences to the family and friends of a wonderful person who I met numerous times over the years in his producer role: from the off-line edit suite at Refinery (Silverline Waterfront Studios), to seeing him at the Berlinale European Film Festival (how was he not cold in that jacket?), to industry B2B’s at film festivals here – he always seemed so authentically present and listening, and of course calmly made his opinions know.
I was impressed at the disciplined, and gentle-man I met, and whose mind was as razor-sharp as his fitness level! He seemed so genuinely humble about his achievements, and would rather chat about his next goals.
I remember he always exuded warmth, kindness, and humor.
So I cant imagine this loss for all of you – and really words are not enough. Such a talented executive in his prime: this is a devastating loss, for the family, his friends and of course the industry.
Sincere condolences.
Dear Mary, You are having to live the nightmare all parents dread, losing a child, the produce of your seed and womb. May you find some form of peace in time, drawing upon the Love that surrounds your whole family.
In dark times I find comfort in the words of Tennyson’s “in Memoriam” :-
I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Embrace your Grief, absorb it’s message, and the Light as you move beyond it will be all the Brighter.
Your Friends,
Peter and Pat.
Daniel, and though him you taught me about Seinfeld, black adder, life of Brian and I in turn have spread it to my girls….
Kim was my first serious long-term boyfriend. My first love. In many ways, we came of age together.
I have so many vivid memories of those years (’94 – ’99). Mostly, of days spent at 8 Morkel Street, hanging in the back room watching endless movies and Seinfeld episodes. Walks up to Disa Gorge (though some will claim this is apocryphal, as most ironically, we were regarded in those days as an indolent and slothful square-eyed pair of cinephile nerds! (Lillith and Frasier, one cheeky bugger called us! I think it was Stui Almond.)
We went to the SA premiere of Pulp Fiction together at the old Rosebank cine and were both enraptured. Midnight chats about Tarantino and other auteurs would carry on for weeks. There were endless swims, family feasts (My god, what a family!), hair raising trips to the video shop in Kim’s Mazda (what a scary driver, careening round hairpin bends like a complete maniac!)
Andrew’s lasagne’s, Mary’s music, Dan on the computer, Murray and Ruby just beyond beautiful together, I was in such awe, Rors in tennis whites, Sue and her ever-growing menagerie…
When I told a friend of Sue’s of Kim’s passing (she and Susan had been sassy tweens around the house at that time), one of her top recollections was (and I could almost hear the awe even on Facebook Messenger): “Remember when he bought you…that Wondebra!”
(The brand had just launched in SA with that unforgettable Eva Herzegova campaign: “Look me in the eyes and tell me you love me,” and as we all know, Kim was a man who appreciated the finer things in life). His GF’s cujons would be housed in only the best, ha ha ha ha!
Marianne, you made me laugh with that, thank you!
Even as a poor student, Kim would save up shekels to buy aftershaves like CK One etc. and prided himself on his threads. Manners, (and tailoring), as far as he was concerned, made the man.
He used to go and work at the Pip James tattersalls every Saturday morning for pocket money. We had usually been out on the lash with mates the night before (that food fight at Cantina Tequila instigated by Larry – Darren Tarling – was one notorious example of our grunge-era, stick-it-to-the-man shenanigans) and I’d mill about the house, hung like a salty seadog, stealing the crust off Andrew (Kim’s stepdad and Dan and Sue’s dad’s) freshly bought loaf with butter, marmite and a thick slice of cheese. (Nothing quite as awful as nursing a cracking, cider-induced headache, ugh).
Murray would be around, usually consuming an entire pot of plain boiled Old Mill Stream brown rice, informing me with great alacrity that: ”A hangover is like a giant wall of food you need to eat your way through.”
Then Kimble would get back just after one pm, clutching two King pies (chicken, steak or pepper steak), a ripe avo and a litre of Liqui fruit and we’d hang out, talk for hours and do other stuff young couples do.
Kim loved me like a gentleman. He was a vulnerable, gentle, kind man with one of the driest senses of humour of anyone I have ever known. He was generous, thoughtful and playful.
We broke up, as young lovers do, more than 20 years ago, but I have stayed close to his incredible family, especially our darling Melon, and feel their loss and pain acutely.
It is for them that I grieve and grieve hard. But I also know that Kimble hasn’t really left. None of us ever really do.
So, call upon him when you need him. If I know Kim, he’ll be there in a heartbeat.
All my love to all who love Kim.
Kayang
Aaah, oh my God Kayang, I can remember that time in history so welll. The warm lived in comfort of the outside room. The Seinfeld episodes and the Monty Python movies….. Black Adder and Not the Nine o Clock news. That wonder bra was a limited addition mind you…. not the regular coloured ones. I remember that. Kim was always a quiet one. Patient and kind. I remember how he never made me feel out of place even though I wasn’t technically supposed to be eating his sandwich or sitting on his bed chatting away about God knows what while he was trying to study…. The amount of times He would politely move his books so I could place yet another half drank/drunk coffee cup (“oh and by the way you guys need more milk”) I remember once he was studying in the large entrance room by the front door with his foot in a large bowl of warm water soaking an ingrown toenail, I asked him if it hurt, he said it didn’t. I remember that was the day he finally let his guard down and looked up laughed when I said “then why are you doing that?” And he said, because I still want to to get better…. you really are a strange one aren’t you ?” But he didn’t say it in a mocking tone but in a “I’ve been observing this patiently for a couple of years now kind of way…” I remember seeing Kim without a shirt on for the first time. I think I was about 14 years old. So this is going 24 years back…. and I literally asked him…. “why do you have a six pack?” We were at the pool. And he just laughed and shock his head. I remember saying something like “I didn’t know you were sporty. Being the best friend of the baby sister…. we were molded by all the influences the older brothers were into… F1 racing, Guinness, the music we listened to, NATO jackets, the four big brothers Not so much Daniel ( just kidding) were our hero’s) we thought we were so cool to be part of this gang. And the girlfriends Kayang and Nicole ( I remember she had this fantastic tan and Long Beach curly hair- her and Murry looked like Malibu Ken and Barbie with there cabriolet and surfboards…. Daniel instilled my obsession for the Simpsons….. that family made me who I am today. With Kim missing it’s like an award winning tv show with a character gone. It can’t be replaced but you can watch the episodes over and over. Moments in time are just that. The other actors get older but Kim won’t. I will always see him in corduroy pants, sitting somewhere in 8 morsel street studying with a half smile on his face. His shy eyes cast down and his gentle aura. You always knew that you could ask him anything and he was reliable and trustworthy. The clever, dependable one. “Let’s ask Kim”
May the family find rest/peace in the knowledge that life is but a whisper in the light of eternity. May the hope of a reunion with Kim be a real hope.
My darling Kims, if I had to choose one word to describe you, it would be this: STEADFAST. In your loving, your friendships, your hiking, your work. Thank you for being my teacher. I love you for ever, mum xx
Mary, Every day I light a candle for Kim. In the spring I will plant a tree for him in my garden. So that there will be a tribute to your son in the Northern hemisphere high up on the top of the world. And on the 7th of December I will plant Something in his honour. I promise to plant something every single year on his birthday.
Love Marie-Anne
Kim was always this one:
Be the one who, when you walk in
Blessing shifts to the one who needs it most.
Even if you’ve not been fed,
Be bread.
( Jalal ud’din Rumi)
This is such devastating news. He was taken far too early.
On behalf of the GSB Foundation we extend our deepest and sincere condolences to Kim’s family.
A tragic loss to all who knew him.
Sending his family strength and courage as they face the days, months, years ahead. A big painful void has been left in their lives.
May his beautiful memories bring you peace as you try and cope with his untimely passing.
With best regards
Linda Fasham
As you all know, Kim was such a quiet, unassuming person. Extremely humble. He was always at every family event I can remember, without fail. He had a way of sharing every moment with us, not excluding himself from any moment, but just being there – almost in the background, while still being part of everything.
Thinking back to my memories of Kim though, he has played a different role in my life – that of a leader.
• I remember the first time he made me swim across the dam at Umzikini.
• I remember him introducing me to Seinfeld, Black Adder and Monty Python
• I remember the first time he took me up Lion’s Head
• I remember the first time he took us all up West Peak, just 2 months ago
• I remember, time and time again, he asked when Andrew and Ava would be ready for Lion’s Head
And I realise now, that he lead me through my life, quietly, without me even knowing.
You will be so very missed, my brother.
Dan