Myral Groves Williams

Dad was a graduate of Williamsburg High School and Concord College in West Virginia and received his master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He signed up to enlist in the Navy during the Korean War, spending two years of duty in Norfolk, Virginia and two years in Reykjavik Iceland where he met his bride, our mother, Jonbjorg Hafdis (Disa) Sigurmannsdottir where they were married before he returned to the states bringing her back to the hills of West Virginia to his family's homeplace to live, what a shock that was to her. He took this girl out of the city and brought her back to the farm which at the time only had an outhouse! She was not happy. From there they moved to Athens, West Virginia to pursue his college degree at Concord College while working several jobs to support his growing family. He was a hard worker but also like to enjoy his life to the fullest.

After receiving his teaching degree, he decided to move the family to the Hampton Roads area where he worked many odd jobs until he was offered a job teaching Science at Hampton High School the first year the school opened. He was so happy about this new opportunity. He started teaching and was excited about buying a brand-new house that carried them through the years raising their five children. With all these kids he also needed a second job at night, while there were many, he eventually got a part time job working for Sears and Robuck in the camera department where he learned everything he could about cameras and taking pictures. He continued to teaching Science at several schools to include Eaton Jr. High, Syms Jr. High, and then on to Kecoughtan High School till he retired in 1991 and then he could devote himself full time to his large garden.

Dad loved to travel. He travelled the world with his shipmates while in the Navy to places all over Europe to include Denmark, Italy, Germany, and France. After retiring from teaching, he made many trips to his favorite place, Iceland, travelling from one end of the country to the other where he enjoyed going salmon fishing and snowmobiling over the glaciers. He enjoyed many things but what he was good at was gardening. He knew how to cross breed plants and grow things that we never would have never imagined. He raised honeybees to harvest their honey right in the middle of our kitchen. He grew some of the best corn, loads of tomatoes, green peppers, many varieties of hot peppers, okra, string beans and anything else he could think of. He would freeze or can everything out of his garden to use all year long. His berry pen was filled with the biggest and best tasting blue berries and razzberries around. He had to work hard to keep the weeds down and the birds out of that pin. Willie had many other passions which included fishing, hunting raccoons for their fur to sell, rabbits, and deer. along with being an amazing cook.

One of his favorite stories is about his minus one (-1) ball cap given to him by the brother of a very good friend of his, Earle, and he enjoyed telling the story to everyone even if they didn't ask. Earle's brother lived in Iowa and evidently raised cows, not sure how many, but when the cows he had recently purchased were delivered one was missing, hence the story of the minus one. So, Earle's brother had hats made with the minus one (-1) on them and gave Willie one while he was visiting him in Iowa.

Willie was preceded in death by his wife, Disa, his parents J. Wallace Williams and Carrie Ethel Snedegar Williams of Williamsburg, West Virginia along with his daughter Dianna O. Boden, and his siblings Asel Williams and Sharon Hillman.

Survivors include Andy Williams, Siggi Williams (Christine), Duna Ellis (Charles), and Donna Mortensen (Dave) and over 50 grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren.

Daddy loved teaching and tried very hard to shape the minds of the younger generation but what he loved the most was his family. He would always say, "I love you all the same, there are no favorites".

Visitation will be from 12:30 until 1:00 PM, Saturday, June 7, 2025 at Parklawn-Wood Funeral Home, 2551 N. Armistead Avenue, Hampton, VA followed by a service at 1:00 PM. Committal and military honors will be rendered at Hampton Memorial Gardens following the services in the chapel. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://parklawn-woodfh.com/

If you would like, in lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in his name to Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org.