Doris Allene Williams

She lived an idyllic childhood playing about the creeks of Rush Springs, Oklahoma, surrounded by 3 siblings and her grandma Martin. Doris’ strong family values and unyielding since of loyalty certainly came out of this American rural imprinting.

Albert Stiles and his family thrived until the infamous dust bowl drought moved into Oklahoma during the heart of the great depression. The Stiles family experienced a Steinbeckian tragedy having to flee the Sooner state following an enormous fire that engulfed her father’s sweet potato storage.

Leaving the pet rooster Tarzan, 3 older siblings, and her beloved Grandma Martin the family of three set out for south Texas in the middle of the night. To this day, mother’s most poignant recollection was hearing her Grandmother cry the words, I will never see my Doris again. And so it was.

To say Natalia was a small town in the south of Texas is not a statement of full disclosure. You would have to add the phrase ‘really small’. It is just enough off the freeway to never be seen unless it was your destination or you where badly lost. Doris (dubbed Do Do by her oldest brother Curt) entered the 5th grade that year and from that moment on became the star pupil. Each year thereafter would be filled with top grade honors, singing and music recognition consummating with the school’s valedictorian award. Everybody knew Doris Stiles was special.

As so often happened in those early years of World War Two, Doris married a young soldier names R. Lee Williams and bore 2 children, Timothy Lee and Carol Lynette. R. Lee died tragically leaving a single mother with two baby’s to support. It is an understatement to say that mother is a determined spirit. Without wasting time, Doris rode the bus to nearby San Antonio where she found work as a telephone operator with AT&T. There, she set up a home and supported her children over the next 3 years.

In 1947 she met Byrd Williams III, a photographer by trade and they soon married and moved to Corpus Christi (another Williams?). Byrd worked as a photographer and for one of the only times in her life, Doris became a housewife with newly born twins, Byrd IV and Pam. From there the family of six moved to Fort Worth in 1951 where Doris remains to this day.

Byrd Moore Williams and Doris Allene Stiles were not just a suburban married couple, they were business partners. Upon arriving in Fort Worth they set up a high end portrait Studio on Parkhill Dr. in the TCU area of town. After a fire in the little strip center they move to nearby Westcliff center where they operated the studio until around 1960. Doris was chief cook and bottle wash, not to mention business manager. Byrd’s name was over the door and he operated the camera while Doris was the receptionist, make-up artist and set stylist. After a sitting she would hand color the head shots in heavy oils (this was the 1950’s after all) and then do the “sales” work, one on one with each client while dad wore his beret and looked arty. Whether he really wore the French head gear I’m not sure but you get my point (I do have a photo of him with one on).

Those 1950’s where good for many Americans and the Williams clan was no exception. Happiness is underrated. I can’t speak for mother but my guess is she would say the same: We laughed a lot.

The Studio grew into Byrd Photo Service, a corporation with 20 or so employees, several of which where family members including her sister Irene. Needless to say, Mother was a dynamo and the driving force behind the success of this photofinishing business.