Passed away peacefully on March 17th at Grand Oaks Retirement Community, in Washington, DC. She was born on May 17, 1922 in Elmhurst, Illinois to the late Eugene and Hulda Dramm and has gone to be with God and her beloved husband Lloyd Russell Williams.
Mary Lois attended Shimer College and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, with a degree in Communications. She spent most of her adult life as a resident of Washington, DC. She was very much a socialite and loved giving parties in her home for friends and family, traveling around the world with her husband, and arranging flowers for all occasions. The Dramm family was one of the largest producers of cut roses in Evanston, IL and later in the country. Flowers became a passion for Mary Lois in her adult years. In her early working years, she established Welcome Wagon in Martinsville, VA. She went on to be supervisor of sales traffic for WRC-AM-FM-TV (NBC) in DC. While working there she was elected Vice President of American Women in Radio. She assisted in the management of Hotel Jefferson for ten years. She loved welcoming dignitaries to the hotel and shared many interesting stories of people she had met. She volunteered in her early years as a Gray Lady at Walter Reed Hospital serving veterans and wounded soldiers. She volunteered at the Washington Hospital Lobby Shop for many years as one of the buyers. She delivered Meals on Wheels with a close friend. She was active in the Republican Women’s Club, the Symphony Women’s Club, The Kennedy Center and The Press Club. She loved Westmoreland Church and was dedicated to arranging flowers whenever possible and especially loved attending lunch with the prime timers. One of her greatest joys was to head to her condominium at Rehoboth Beach. She cherished her visits with family members and many close friends.
She is survived by her two step daughters, Patricia (Michael) Stenhouse of Davidson NC, and Judy (William) Johnson of Atlanta, GA, nephew David Dramm of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, niece Debbie Russell of Elmhurst IL, and nephew Rick Dramm of Henderson, NV. She is preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Williams, her brothers Eugene Dramm and John Dramm, and her nephew, John Lester Dramm. She has a large extended family of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and other relatives who have many fond memories of her. The family is forever grateful to Ana Maria Velasquez for her many years of dedicated service to Mary Lois’s care.
A service and celebration of life will be held at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ on Saturday May 12, 2018 at 11:00 am. The address is 1 Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda, Maryland.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations to Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ in Bethesda, Maryland in her memory.
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