Halina Bunnie Williams

Survived by Clyde S Williams, Jr., her husband of 69 years, daughters Catherine S Martinez and husband Greg (YT), Dr. Christine L Williams and partner Dr. Martin Button, and Karene I Williams and husband Mark L Jakusovszky, grandchildren Sean Patrick Holland, Claire J Hunt, Colleen L Hunt and husband Will Giglio, great granddaughter Rosemary Hansen, brother Richard Swiatek, nieces Adrienne, Allison and husband Dennis, plus longtime family friends Dixie, Phil & Mary, Sherwood & Jane, Carol & Ray, Bruce, Bryan, Dave & Elizabeth, Martin, Kelly & Paul, Yolanda, Kim & Henry, Gloria and many church friends.

She was preceded in death by parents Stanley and Valentyna Swiatek and sister-in-law Caroline Swiatek.

Born Halina Swiatek in Brooklyn, where her parents immigrated from Poland, Bunnie spent most of her childhood in Detroit.

Cute as a bunny - Halina’s high school nickname - Bunnie was a Kindergarten teacher for 50 years.

She attended Holy Redeemer High school and graduated from Marygrove College, all in Detroit.

Bunnie met Clyde at a high school dance. They married on August 17, 1957.

An Air Force couple, Bunnie and Clyde traveled widely. The family lived in San Antonio, Texas; Chandler, Arizona; Sherman, Texas; Selma, Alabama; Enid, Oklahoma; Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Monterey, California; and Bogota, Colombia. Bunnie and Clyde moved into their forever house in Tempe, Arizona in 1981.

Like her mother, Bunnie was a skilled seamstress who sewed matching dresses for her daughters (and their Barbies) and later crocheted baby blankets for local charities with her friends at Tempe’s Needlewielders.

A devout Catholic, Bunnie was a member of Holy Spirit and St. Andrew the Apostle churches, delivering the host to housebound parishioners every week. She went on pilgrimages to Mexico and Lourdes and taught catechism after she retired from teaching.

She was a volunteer at Treasures for Teachers, Needlewielders, and the White Dove Hospice Thrift Shop. Bunnie received the Tempe Mayor’s Award for 500 hours of volunteer service.

Bunnie loved to have fun with friends. She was a Red Hatter, one year appearing as “Miss December” in their calendar. She took Polish pastries to neighbors every spring as the Easter Bunnie. Ever the consummate party planner, she hosted the Flamingo Open croquet tournaments, Super Bowl soup fests, neighborhood block parties and rode alongside Clyde at vintage car shows in their honeymoon 1952 MG-TD.

Bunnie and Clyde toured many countries with their family and friends, including France, New Zealand, Poland, Argentina, and Costa Rica.

They hosted a “Thanksmas” reunion every year, when family and friends vied for the coveted Williams Cribbage Trophy. Bunnie learned to play cribbage during COVID and was the dark horse winner in 2021.

Adored by all, Bunnie was a true child whisperer. She made a difference in the lives of hundreds of kindergartners. It was not uncommon for fully grown former students to approach her and ask, “Are you Mrs. Willams?”

During Covid, Bunnie taught her great granddaughter Rosie, now 11, the Three Rs on remote zoom calls.

Active in many civic and church organizations, she was an avid tennis fan (especially Iga Swiatek). She loved Patsy Cline and Bette Davis and dancing the polka with Clyde.

Bunnie made fast friends wherever she went, whether on a cruise ship or the grocery store. Her address book is two volumes thick.

Charismatic and caring to the end, Bunnie will be sorely missed by her loving husband, family and her many friends.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in her honor to Treasures for Teachers.