Carla Joy Williams

Carla was born in Portage, Wisconsin in 1956, the oldest daughter of Charles McMahon and Joyce Hutchinson. Carla had 4 siblings: 3 sisters, Tracy, Kay, and Patty, as well as 1 brother, Tony. She grew up in Portage and attended local schools and graduated from Portage High School in 1974. After graduating, she worked in healthcare jobs mostly in nursing homes. She was married to Richard Hartje in 1975. They had 2 daughters, Melissa and Jennifer. In the late 1970's Carla and her family moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. When in Grand Junction, Carla worked at the Grand Junction Regional Center, teaching work skills to handicapped individuals. She and Richard Hartje were later divorced in the 1990's. She subsequently married Donald Williams in 1998. They remained married until the time of her passing. Aside from her work, Carla enjoyed working on craft projects. Some of her projects were good enough to be sold through a local antique store. Carla was forced to retire from her job at the Regional Center due to an ongoing disability. She then enjoyed doing volunteer work at the local Habitat for Humanity store, where she was awarded a "volunteer of the year" award. She later had to also quit working at the "Habitat" store due to her disability. Carla was a very strong-willed person who also had the proverbial heart of gold. She greatly loved her various pets she had during her lifetime. She is survived by her husband Donald, sisters Tracy and Kay, and daughter Melissa, grandson Ethan and nieces Haley, Kari, Jessica, Lauren and nephews Aaron and Danny. She was pre-deceased by both her parents, sister Patty, Brother Tony, and daughter Jennifer. Memorial donations in her memory can be made to the Roice Hurst Humane Society, on 362 28 RD, Grand Junction, CO 81501. No memorial service is planned at this time but one may be scheduled at a later date.