Lottie Williams

Lottie Bell Edwards-Williams, like most people of her generation, was a child of the Great Depression. Her family vacations consisted of camping at the side of a lake or stream, cooking potatoes, canned beans and other camping staples, and sleeping with her small children in the car and folding cots outside. An occasional borrowed tent was a luxury. But, Lottie enjoyed the outdoors where she could be with her God, her 3 children and husband, Millard, an ordained part-time southern Baptist Minister and math teacher before his death in 1988. Mrs. Williams retired from the school system after she collapsed from a heart problem a few years later.

Lottie started her married life with much suffering in common with royalty; like Alexandra, the Empress of Rusldon sia, she bore a son, Stephen, with the free-bleeder disease of hemophilia. And, like Queen Alexandra, she carried her guilt to her grave helplessly watching the suffering of her first child and burdened with the responsibility she felt to take care and protect him. Lottie and Millard also had 2 other children, Donna Renae, a manager American Airlines, and Jimmy Clark, who retired after 43 years at Manville Corp. in Cleburne. In later years, Mrs. Williams suffered from broken bones from falls and excruciating pain from trigeminal neuralgia with which she struggled until her death. Indeed, in keeping with her values, Lottie always praised God that she still had her children living close around her after nearly half a century. Her son, Jimmy Clark, moved into the house and stayed to ensure she was never alone, and always cared for during the last 3 years of her life.

Mrs. Williams was predeceased by two sisters; Paula Horrell and her husband Wilbur, and Imonell Byars, and 1 brother; Melvin Jim Fullwood. Her other surviving sisters are; Barbara and her husband Eldon Surley of Colleyville and Estelle Sealy of Decatur. Lottie had more nieces, nephews and grandkids than you “could shake a stick at”. Grandma Yoddie often hosted an overflowing house of people for birthdays and holidays from the extended families of her children. Her family wishes to thank all of the relatives and church friends for all of their support over the years.