Dorothy Louise Wilder Webb Williams, born in Clearwater FL in 1926, was a wife, mother and educator. She was a member of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church and Riderwood Circle Fellowship. Dotty earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in 1948 and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1970. She taught mathematics in Fairfax VA and Montgomery County MD until her retirement in 1986.
After living in Washington DC, Winchester VA and Fairfax VA, she and her family moved to the Hillandale suburb of Silver Spring MD. Her husband of 25 years, Cecil LeRoy (“Lee”) Webb, died in 1973. She remained in Hillandale and continued to care for her parents, who had moved from FL to reside in her family home, until they both died in 1986. In 1989 Dotty married a long-time friend, neighbor and fellow Good Shepherd member, Marvin (“Red”) Williams. They moved to the Silver Spring senior community of Riderwood in 2009. She passed peacefully in her sleep in their apartment there after recently celebrating her 95th birthday.
She is survived by her devoted husband Red and her three sons: Ken and his wife Laura, Wes and his partner Charlie, and Jim and his wife Janis. She was adored by her five grandchildren: Leah, Kathryn, Andrew, Jason and Jennifer. Her legacy lives on with her ten great-grandchildren.
A few years ago, Dotty wrote “Hopefully my passing will be a blessing rather than a sorrow. At this point I am well on my way to 87 years of age and have had a marvelous life. There’s been a good bit of trauma and sorrow, of course, but also a great life filled with much joy and happiness. God never promised me a rose garden … right? I have always looked at life as a glass “half full” not “half empty”. Few people have enjoyed life as much as I have!”
So, to a life lived to the fullest, we raise a glass in her honor and memory.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, October 14 at 12:30pm at Riderwood Chapel, 3110 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD. In lieu of flowers, Red and the family request that donations be made to Benevolent Care at the above Riderwood address.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hinesrinaldifuneralhome.com for the Williams family.
