Nah'Quis Williams, 27, of Albany, who died on May 25, was posthumously recognized with the "Power of You" award, the highest honor for an employee at the Delaware Plaza Hannaford supermarket, for his strong work ethic during six years as a part-time shelf stocker.

Nah’Quis Williams is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Albany in a vibrantly decorated gravesite meant to commemorate his birth on the Fourth of July. “He came into the world like a firework, full of joy, brightness, and unforgettable presence,” his obituary said.

Nah’Quis Williams, pictured in 2022, with his mother, Nanesha Davis, right, and job coach Cathy Nasser. They joked he had two mothers, one Black and one white.

Nah'Quis Williams defied expectations of experts who deemed him unemployable because he was deaf, autistic and nonverbal. He graduated from Guilderland High School, volunteered through Living Resources and relished in the love of a large, extended family.

BETHLEHEM — Without ever uttering a word, Nah’Quis Williams spoke volumes about what it meant to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Deaf, nonverbal and diagnosed with severe autism, Williams defied professionals who predicted he was not employable. Instead, he was a valued employee at the Hannaford supermarket in Delaware Plaza for six years.

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Nah’Quis Amir Williams stood 6-foot-3 and weighed more than 300 pounds. Friends and family called him “Gentle Giant,” “Chef Boy R’Quis,” “Nef” and “Big Man.”

In July, Williams was posthumously awarded the “Power of You” recognition in memory of his hard work.” A large photo of Williams, dressed in his uniform of red polo shirt and Hannaford name tag, hangs inside the store’s main entrance. His right hand holds a work vest with the words “Deaf Associate” and he made the “I love........

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