Dorothy
Dorothy Mae Williams
d. December 1, 2019
On December, 1, 2019, Dorothy Lee Williams answered the Lords call and went home to receive her wings.
Dorothy Lee Williams was born January 19, 1926 to Alberta Smith and Willie Lee in St. Francisville Parish, Louisiana. She was the only girl - and her four brothers adored her from the time she entered the world. Everything she learned about devotion to family, came at the foot of watching her own mother, Alberta, navigate a difficult and sometimes unsettling world with warmth and love.
Dorothy or "Dottie" as she was affectionately called, was a proud graduate of Southern High School where she was crowned "Miss Southern" during her senior year. She continued at Southern University where she studied education and pledged her heart to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She finished her studies at Wayne State University. Her professional career included teaching first, second and third grades at Maybee and Wingert Elementary Schools in Detroit.
That love of children was evident in the classroom and beyond. She had an entire room in her home filled with school supplies for the children she had been entrusted to shape and mold into productive and successful citizens. She grew up near a young man named Simon Wesmore Williams - and on New Years Eve of 1947 Dorothy married the love of her life. The two of them were a beautiful couple. Soon after, they expanded their family circle to welcome a daughter, Gail and son Ronald.
Dorothy loved traveling, knitting, reading and square dancing. She adored her grandchildren and great granddaughter. Upon retirement, Dorothy kept up with civic and social engagements and even sold Mary Kay Cosmetics for a time. She also served as the family accountant, managing the "books" for their many businesses including several gas stations and an apartment building in Midtown Detroit. And, she took her lifetime commitment to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to heart. During her 73 years in the sorority, she served as Treasurer for Detroit Alumnae Chapter, held other leadership positions and was active as a Delta Dear until her health kept from attending meetings and events.
Dorothy kept God first in her life and her devotion to family and friends was everlasting. And her Louisiana roots were a constant thread despite her migration North with her husband, Simon, in search of greater opportunities and a new life. She loved good pralines, warm cornbread with buttermilk and tasty gumbo. And she was known to enjoy a good mimosa, too.
Dorothy had a special spirit that drew people to her and her trademark candor would leave you in stitches or give you a dose of reality, depending on your outlook!
Waiting for her in heaven are her parents, Alberta Smith and Willie Lee; her brothers, Bay, Billy and Feltus (Inez); and her beloved husband, Simon Williams.
She leaves to cherish her memory: her ever-devoted daughter and caregiver, Gail (Michael); a son, Ronald; grandchildren, Lesli (John), Lindsay, Clifford Jr, Michael Kevin and Michelle; a great-granddaughter, Jordan Elise; brother, Clarence (Phyllis); nieces and nephews, Feltus Jr, Nikki, Eddie (Angela), Mark (Tomeka), Marchae, Chloe, Chrirsta, Astrid and a host of extended family and friends - including special friends, Hortense Harvey and Jimmy Moorer.
A Celebration of Life for Dorothy Lee Williams will be held at 10am on December 14, 2019 at the RG and GR Funeral Home in Detroit, MI.
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