Annette Curtis-Williams

Annette Curtis-Williams died at home, on June 3rd, 2024, in St. Johns, FL, having begun hospice care less than a week prior to her death. She did, however, live long enough to celebrate her 82 birthday on May 30th, surrounded by family and friends.

Annette was born and raised in Sonoraville, GA, and graduated from Stephens High School, in 1960, before attending Tennessee State University, in Nashville. After earning a BA in Biology, in1964, she moved to New York - briefly, to Buffalo, and then to Brooklyn, where she would spend over 30 years. Later, while already fulfilling the roles of a working wife and mother, Annette returned to school, and received her MSW from New York University, in 1978.

Throughout her time in New York, and during the additional 30 years she spent in Florida, Annette dedicated her considerable skills, and seemingly boundless energy, to working with the most vulnerable members of her community, particularly women and children. She was, also, passionate about bringing resources and attention to under-recognized aspects of local Black history and culture.

In order to go from picking cotton in Sonoraville, to becoming a clinical professor at one of the nation’s premier law schools, Annette did not suffer fools, nor did she indulge in sentimentality. She could be fierce in both her affection and her enmity. But, if your cause needed a volunteer or a donation, she was the one to call - either she, or one of the many friends and family members she seemed to hold in her thrall, would show up. It was hard to say, “No,” to Annette. She would have liked you to know that it was even harder to beat her in Scrabble.

Annette is survived by her husband of over 53 years, Willie R. Williams, her son Leandrew and daughter Kimberly. She is, also, survived by her siblings Ernest Eugene Curtis, Brenda Sue Harris, and William Marvin Curtis. She has been predeceased by her beloved parents, Walter D. And Alberta Curtis, her son, Michael Williams, and by her siblings, Frances Marie Harvey, Joyce Hawkins, and Robert W. Curtis.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Tennessee State University. A link to their website is provided below.