Joseph Michael Williams

Dr. Joseph Michael “Mike” Williams died peacefully surrounded by his family on May 18th, 2025 in Sellersville, Pennsylvania at the age of 70. Despite significant health issues, his final years were full of joy. Mike is survived by his children, Samuel Robert and Elanor Leigh (Benjamin Ross); siblings, David (spouse Judy, children Emily, Luke, Jennie, Joey) Donna (spouse Chris, children Em, Laura), Glenn (children Reed, Melissa), and Amy (spouse JC, children Lucy, Jack, Steven). He is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Nathanial Williams and Lima Mae Aderhold Williams. His family held the most significance in his life.

Joseph Michael, known to his family and friends as Mike, was born on October 7th in Beaufort, South Carolina to Joseph and Lima Williams. As the eldest of five siblings, Mike was known for his boundless curiosity and a generous spirit that led him to eagerly share his interests and knowledge with those around him. His deep love of learning and reading, paired with an extraordinary ability to retain and communicate information, fueled a lifelong exploration of diverse subjects.

From an early age, Mike demonstrated a natural gift for guidance and leadership—a quality that remained constant throughout his life. As a child, his passion for music, art, animals, and photography blossomed and ultimately contributed to his achievement of Eagle Scout rank in 1971 with Troop 86 in Wilmington, Delaware.

Mike graduated from Thomas McKean High School in Wilmington in 1972. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware in 1976, and later received a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Vermont in 1983.

Known professionally as J. Michael Williams, he began to research and teach Neuropsychology. He was an active early member and later Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and chaired two of their national conferences. Mike was also co-director of the Neuropsychology program at the University of Memphis from 1983-1988. While in Memphis, he was introduced to his two greatest loves, blues music and Kelli Sue Davis. After meeting in 1983, they were inseparable and propelled one another to new career and life goals. In 1989, Mike accepted a faculty position as co-director of Neuropsychology at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, which transitioned to Drexel University where he would remain for the remainder of his career. He was active in his field during his 36 years teaching for Drexel University and was successfully published 74 times.

Mike’s lifelong research focused on memory disorder and traumatic brain injury. His graduate research in memory culminated in the extraordinary accomplishment of publishing the Memory Assessment Scales (MAS), a battery of tests available to clinicians to comprehensively assess memory function. Always on the cutting edge of technology, he was an early developer of computerized techniques to assess cognition and had his own software company. His latest research utilized functional imaging (fMRI) to develop dynamic causal modeling in the study of emotion and memory.

Outside of work, Mike was a hobbyist and an avid collector. One of his main interests was Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings. He hosted an online radio show called “Shire Radio” and has a website called “Tolkien Collector,” where other collectors can go to research their treasures. His interests also included historical photographs, Japanese prints, comics, and Star Trek memorabilia—the latter of which was featured in an exhibition at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. Mike is remembered by his children as endlessly generous, making everyone that knew him a collector by giving beautiful gifts which would grow into a collection over time. He set about teaching his children all that he knew about Tolkien, guitar, and the world around us—from history to space exploration.

Mike had a great sense of humor that lightened everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. His wit, warmth, and joy for life left a lasting impression on those around him. He was an inspiration to his family—offering unwavering encouragement, insight, and love in all he did.

A celebration of his life is scheduled for June 21st at Longwood Gardens, with a reception to follow at the Mendenhall Inn. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Mike’s life. If you are interested in attending and would like more information, please RSVP here: https://mikewilliamscelebration.rsvpify.com

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to one of his favorite places, Longwood Gardens, at https://longwoodgardens.org/support/give-today.

The family would like to thank the hospital staff at Grand View hospital for their efforts, care, and dedication in his final days.