Faith Hooper Lytle

She was surrounded in her final hours by her loving husband William P. Lytle, daughters Ruth Hamilton and Aimee Hearn, sons David and Paul, daughter-in-law Diep Nguyen Lytle, and grandchildren Nathan, Tim, Jae and Ben Lytle.

Other family include daughter-in-law Jane Bierman-Lytle, grandchildren Linden, Oliver, and Sebastian Bierman-Lytle of Denver, son-in-law Brian Hamilton; grandson, Roman Hamilton and step-grandson, Erik Hamilton of Washington, DC, son-in-law Roy Hearn of Groveton, TX, sisters-in-law Shirley Williamson of Mantoloking, NJ and Gloria Williamson of North Port, FL, brother-in-law Byron Hurlbut of Pittsburgh, PA, niece Marjorie Dwyer, Jim Dwyer, and their sons Jonathan and Jason of Boston, MA.

Faith was preceded in death by her beloved parents and brothers, Norman and Ray Williamson. She also leaves many friends all across the nation.

Besides her family who meant so much to her, Faith's passions included the arts, her pets, her English heritage, social issues, and her spiritual journey.

Faith was born to George Phillip and Muriel Millicent Ray Williamson on March 13, 1923 near Maplewood, NJ where she spent her childhood years.

She graduated from Tusculum College in Greenville, TN.

She then attended Princeton Seminary where Bill was a student.

They were married there in 1947, and she began her long and fruitful life with Bill as national missionaries in the Reserve and Corona, NM ranching communities until 1962.

They spent another 11 years in rural mission church work in the mountain area around the University of the Ozarks, Clarksville, AR, where they both were employed.

For the past 32 years, Faith and Bill have made their home in San Antonio, where Bill was pastor of the downtown Madison Square Presbyterian Church, 1973 - 1991.

The family spent most summers at Chautauqua Lake, NY, one of Faith's most favorite places. She and the family also enjoyed other vacation trips across the country.

On one of those trips through Georgia, the family stopped at Koinoinia Farms and saw the beginnings of the dream of Clarence Jordan and Millard Fuller for cooperative building of homes with people in need.

With Millard's encouragement, Faith conceived of the idea of trying community home building in the inner-city of San Antonio.

Beginning in 1976 through her work with many friends in the area, including Rod and Patti Radle, San Antonio Habitat for Humanity became the first affiliate of what is now a world wide housing project in cooperation with low-income working families.

Faith documented this story in her book, 'We Would Be Building', published in 2001 by Habitat for Humanity International.