Ride the Ducks tragedy also took life of pastor who often drove the boat

Funeral services are being planned for a pastor who died in the freak ducks boat accident that also took the lives of 16 others on Table Rock Lake near Branson last week.

The Springfield News-Leader reports Robert “Bob” Williams worked for Ride the Ducks and was riding on the duck boat as part of a two-person crew on the vessel.

Williams, 73, was not listed as the driver of the amphibious vehicle in a Missouri State Highway Patrol report.

The newspaper reports Williams and his wife Judith served on the board of directors of the USA Veterans Hope Center in Branson.

“As our very first board members, Bob and Judy Williams have been a driving force behind the USA Veterans Hope Center,” Almer Jackson, the founder, and CEO of the center said in a news release.

“They have faithfully provided mentorship and ministry through media to active military and institutionalized veterans, have organized ministry events for veterans, and have led as servant leaders, mentors, friends, and life coaches to all,” the release continued.

“We love Bob. Bob was more than a board member, he was a friend, mentor, and father, and grandfather to our family. He will be missed. We continue to rally around Judy and love her very much. We are broken-hearted but God is a heart fixer.”

According to The Springfield News-Leader, Williams grew up in Alabama and moved to Branson after working for many years at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. He worked at several places in Branson during his semi-retirement, often serving as an usher at various theaters.

“Pastor Bob was a prince of a man, loving, kind, and generous, whose loss to our family is incalculable,” Williams’ son-in-law, Bishop Jeffery Williams, who now leads King’s Cathedral in Providence told The Associated Press.

“He was one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. He was a Christian man. He was a lover of people,” Jackson told the newspaper.

He and his wife were members of the Faith Life Church in Branson. He had previously served as an associate pastor at The King’s Cathedral in Providence.