Dexter man dies unexpectedly on cruise ship

DEXTER, Mo. -- A father and son's vacation ended tragically this week for a well-known Dexter family.

The family of Richard Williams, 39, learned early Tuesday he died while aboard a cruise ship Monday.

Williams had taken his kindergarten-age son, Tayton, on a Disney cruise to the Cayman Islands. Williams began to feel ill on the boat and asked the ship's day-care center to take care of his son while he went to his cabin to rest.

When Williams did not return to pick up the child, ship officials went to his cabin and found him dead. The cause of death has not been determined, but Williams was known to have health problems, including asthma. He lived in Dexter and was self-employed.

According to family members, crew members on the ship took charge of Williams' son, and he will be flown back to St. Louis where he will be reunited with family members.

The only sibling of Richard Williams is his brother, Roy Williams, who owns and operates Fiddler's Restaurant in Dexter. The restaurant was closed Tuesday.

The parents of Richard Williams are the late Marilyn Williams and Rick Williams. Marilyn Williams served the 159th District as state representative from 1991 until 2000. She died in 2009 at the age of 55 after a two-year battle with melanoma. Marilyn and Rick Williams opened Fiddler's restaurant in the 1980s.

In October 2013, Rick Williams died suddenly at the age of 60. About two months ago, Kerri Stearnes, the mother of Williams' son, died at the age of 36.