Catherine Barbara Williams

Catherine Barbara Williams, 71, of Leesburg, Virginia, formerly of Detroit, Michigan, passed away peacefully at home with her daughter at her side on August 21, 2020. She was the daughter of the late Arvil DePetro and Irene DePetro. She is predeceased by her ex-husband of 25 years, Conlan Williams. She is also predeceased by her sister, Marsha DePetro Emery. She leaves to cherish her memory two adult children, Amy Joncas and her husband, Wayne of Leesburg, Virginia and Andrew Williams and his wife, Rosa of Clifton Forge, Virginia. Her children will always recall many fond memories. She was a devoted, loving mother first and foremost. She treasured her children and embraced every moment with them. She was always there to comfort, encourage, and guide her children. She instilled Catholic values and morals as she had a strong Catholic faith and wished to pass her faith onto her children. She made tremendous sacrifices on behalf of her children. She was an extraordinarily strong woman that persevered amidst many challenges. She had immense patience, understanding, and compassion. She also leaves behind numerous loving friends who have been a source of tremendous support and inspiration. The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to those who have extended support to Catherine and her family during her recent multiple hospitalizations. She graduated from Richard Elementary School, Detroit, Michigan and Osborn High School, Detroit, Michigan before attending Mercy College of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. She also attended Trinity Washington University, Washington, DC. She was an active member of several Catholic parishes, St Louis Catholic Church, Alexandria, Virginia; The Basilica of Saint Mary, Alexandria, Virginia; and St. Theresa Catholic Church, Ashburn, Virginia. She was devoted to the cloistered Poor Clare community located at the Poor Clare Monastery of Mary, Mother of Church, Alexandria, Virginia. She was inspired by her involvement with two Tau Fraternities of the Secular Franciscan Order, the Tau Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order – Herndon, Virginia as well as St. John the Beloved Apostle Order of Secular Franciscan Fraternity, Alexandria, Virginia, both of the St. Margaret of Cortona Region. She served as a role model to her children by instilling the value of service to the community. She had extensive volunteer experience in religious and lay organizations. She led religious education classes at various Catholic Churches for 20 years. She participated in the SPRED program which delivered religious education to the developmentally and physically disabled. She was a member of the Pastoral Council at a local parish. She led volunteers at several key school functions at a local Catholic elementary school. She delivered groceries and provided other assistance to an elderly resident on a weekly basis; she served as a mentor for elementary school children; she participated in a weekly tutoring volunteer program; and she joined a program that provided mental health services for a wide age range of individuals. As a hobby, she aided members of American Online for eight years by promoting familiarity of the Internet and contributing to online users’ positive experiences. She truly enjoyed music, the arts, history, travel, and nature. During the course of her 25 years of Federal Government Service, she worked for the following Federal Agencies: Securities and Exchange Commission; Department of the Army; Department of the Air Force; Department of the Navy; and Department of Veterans Affairs. She worked at several office locations, the Hoffman Building, Alexandria, Virginia; Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia, and the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC. As a Management Analyst in the federal government, she had a history of progressively increasing responsibility for effectively developing, analyzing, evaluating, advising, and improving the effectiveness of work methods and procedures. During her positions in the human resources area, her scope of responsibility was diverse and included providing human resource advisory services to managers. She oversaw report issues, personnel actions and records, awards, requests for HR and payroll information and for ad hoc requests. Ensured the integrity and accuracy of workforce and employment data reported in a variety of formats. These formats were then incorporated in other reports for the White House, Congress, the Office of Personnel Management, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Defense. As a civilian program manager for personnel, she had responsibility for all aspects of training and participated as a program manager for funds used in consolidation of military bases and regionalization studies. She was responsible for the establishment and promotion of quality of life issues in the Department of Defense community. She promoted Equal Employment Opportunity, advised senior government officials on personnel practices, and served as a mediator for employees and management. She received many awards for improving customer service, working successfully independently, and serving as an integral member of teams. In addition to her full time Federal Government career, she also held positions in the private sector, specifically, worked in the admissions departments of hospitals (Mt. Vernon Hospital, Alexandria, Virginia and Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC); worked in the Admission Ticket Office at Mount Vernon, the Home of George Washington, Alexandria, Virginia; and worked at a stock brokerage firm, Merrill Lynch. Visitation will be held on August 31, 2020 at 3:00 pm at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on September 1, 2020 at 10:00 am at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 21371 St. Theresa Lane, Ashburn, VA. Graveside Service will be held on September 4, 2020 at 1:00 pm at Roseland Park Cemetery, 29001 North Woodward Avenue, Berkley, MI. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a larger celebration of life will be held at a later date in 2021. Memorial donations may be sent to the Poor Clare Monastery of Mary, Mother of the Church, 2505 Stonehedge Drive, Alexandria VA 22306.