Joan Hamann Williams

Born Joan Lee Hamann March 28, 1927 in Denver, Colorado. She was the only child of Maude and Harland Hamann, a regional salesman whose travels led Joan to grow up in Ft. Morgan, Salida and Estes Park before settling back in Denver, where she graduated from South High school in 1944.

In 1947 she met and married Air Force Lieutenant, Neill Williams, and admirably served in the role of Air Force Wife for over 20 years on Air Force Bases from Manila Bay to Massachusetts. During this time they had three children; Glenn, born while stationed in Idaho, Richard, born while stationed in Hawaii, and Lee Anna, born during a posting in Massachusetts.

Divorced in the early 1970s, Joan moved with her two youngest children from El Paso, Texas to the Hudson Valley in New York. Taking a job as counter help at McDonald’s, she quickly rose up the management chain to become the first female Store Manager in the Colley McCoy franchise of McDonald’s restaurants spanning from New York to Boston. She graduated from their Management Training Program (dubbed “Hamburger U”) in 1976 and was 1st in her class of 95, only 4 of which were women.

After her kids graduated high school, she returned to Denver in 1979, working for 11 years in the Air Force’s Finance Center at Lowry Air Force Base, where she retired in 1991. She loved to travel, especially with her daughter Lee. She traveled extensively all across America and Europe as well. Her hobbies included knitting, scrapbooking and researching family history.

She is survived by her 3 children; Glenn Williams and his wife Helen, of Dallas TX, Richard Williams and his wife Chloe, of Denver CO and daughter Lee Anna Williams of Westminster, CO; 4 grandchildren; Jennifer Griner of Tucson AZ, Jeremy Williams of Dothan AL, Joanna Lewis of Atlanta GA and Hannah Williams of Denver CO; 11 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. As loving daughter, dutiful wife, proud mother and thoroughly independent woman, she has been a guiding light in her family for nearly a century and she will be missed.

Services will be held at Olinger Crown Hill Pavilion of Reflection, Wheat Ridge CO Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. Reception to follow.

Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary, Cemetery & Arboretum, Wheat Ridge, CO.