William Royster, 79, of Kannapolis, NC, passed away on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at Best of Care Assisted Living in Kannapolis, NC.

William Boyde Royster was born in Durham, NC on July 24, 1946, to the late Thomas and Brodie Royster. He departed this life on Thursday, October 30, 2025. William is the last of his siblings to pass. Preceding his death were his brothers Lacy, James, John Franklin, and George; two sisters Annie Rivers and Nannie Mae (Waddell).

William grew up in Durham where he graduated from Hillside High in 1964. He went on to attend North Carolina Central University in Durham where he met his wife, Faye, who preceded him in death in July 2008. Together, they followed career and life opportunities to Endicott, NY, to the Republic of Korea, to Kannapolis NC and eventually Charlotte NC. William spent his final years residing in Kannapolis, NC. They both joined Faith CME Church in Charlotte, NC where William was active with the Men's Choir, Steward Board, and Boy Scouts.

William played football at North Carolina Central and after graduating, he served in the US Army for three years during the Vietnam War. After an honorable discharge, he began a lengthy career with IBM as a computer programmer. After accepting early retirement from IBM, he began another career with Bank of America as a recruiter and instructor. After leaving Bank of America, William enjoyed his retirement with his wife Faye and hitting the golf course when he had the chance.

William was very fond of teaching young people whether they were relatives or not and encouraged those around him to learn new things. William was known to be level headed and provided sound advice when solicited for it. Extended family meant a lot to William and always expressed pride in his siblings, nieces, and nephews and was there for them when they came to him in a time of need. William was most pleased when he could provide support to others.

Surviving William are his son William of Kannapolis, NC, daughter Cynthia Childers (David) of Concord, NC; grandsons Thomas Joseph of Shelby, NC, Jaden Childers, Caleb Childers, and Kameron Childers all of Concord, NC. The extended family includes a host of nieces and nephews and very special friends, many of whom will remember him as "Uncle William"; including some of his regular medical caregivers who stated "He just reminds me of or seems like an uncle to me".