Born on April 6, 1939, in Farmville, Virginia to
Clarence Blanton and Roxie Epps, she was a proud resident of South Street, Second
Street, and Virginia Street. Lyllie Ann attended local schools where she was a vibrant
student and a member of the high school cheerleading squad. During the summers,
Lyllie Ann would often travel to Norfolk and Portsmouth to work. Eventually, she would
go on to marry the Rev. Dr. J. Samuel Williams, Jr., a union which produced four
daughters—Jamantha Agape, Romantha Agape (deceased), Psyche Aletheia, and
Omega Athenia. In the same year that their youngest daughter was born, the Wiliams
family moved to Buffalo, New York where they remained for almost ten years. While
there, Lyllie Ann attended and graduated from the University of Buffalo with a Bachelor’s
degree in Early Childhood Education. Years later, she would attend Longwood University
(College) and earn a Master’s degree in Special Education, which she loved. She also
continued working for social justice and social action alongside her husband and
became First Lady of the First Baptist Church, serving her home community with
diligence and loyalty. It was during this time that she was honored to join the Farmville
Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Lyllie Ann was a consummate artist and creator, Mrs. Williams beautifully expressed her
gifts through her lifelong commitment to education. When her daughters were young,
she sold the World Book Encyclopedia, using it not only as a resource for learning but
also as an opportunity to impart wisdom about “telling the right stories.” In doing so,
she exemplified the virtues of a Proverbs 31 woman and helpmate. She also introduced
her daughters early to the world of “blitz and glitz” through her work as a Sarah Coventry
jewelry salesperson. This spirit of service and connection continued throughout her life

as she became affectionately known as the Avon Lady and the Traci Lynn Jewelry Diva.
Through these ventures, she encouraged others to embrace their best selves, reminding
them of the importance of looking good, smelling good, and feeling good. For Mrs.
Williams, these endeavors were about far more than selling products; they were
extensions of her calling as an educator and her gift for connecting with people,
uplifting others, and making them feel valued. In every role she embraced, she found
meaningful ways to share her gifts, nurture others, and leave a lasting impression on the
lives she touched. Her daughters, and anyone who visited them, learned about the ways
of the world from Mrs. Williams—she made sure that the names and careers of Black
inventors were on the walls of their home—from Garrett Morgan, who invented the
stoplight to Charles Drew, who introduced the preservation of blood and plasma. From
Matthew Henson, the first African American explorer to reach the North Pole, to her
favorite politician Barbara Jordan, the first African American elected to the Texas
Senate since Reconstruction. Mrs. Williams lived out her calling as an educator, using
her God-given gifts to teach, inspire, encourage, and pour wisdom into everyone she
encountered.”

But she was more than a teacher, Mrs. Williams was known throughout the various
communities in which she lived as “Ma Ann,” “Ma Williams,” “Mother Williams,” and
definitely as “Ga Ga.” And she touched the lives of anyone who came across her path.
Her loving ways and caring heart led her to mentor students and non-students alike.
From neighborhood friends who sat at her dining room table to church members and
adopted daughters and sons, Mrs. Williams made everyone feel at home. She could fry
eggplant for her neighborhood daughter just as quickly and easily as she could teach
her children how to make gravy from scratch. And she did this with or without a
cookbook and left a legacy of quite the collection.

Mrs. Williams was a creative spirit long before the world had social media to showcase
it. She was a seamstress—with or without a pattern—an interior and exterior decorator, a
gardener, a gifted crocheter, and a maker of beautiful things. But more than anything
else, she was a prayer warrior. Mother Williams, as church folk called her, embodied the
very essence of “a praying grandmother,” mother, wife, and sister. Through her
steadfast faith and devotion to God, she taught those around her to recognize and
embrace the power of His Word. She was fond of saying, “I’m sending up timbuh…”
while praying fervently and living steadfastly and righteously every day of her life. A firm
believer in the transformative power of prayer and praise, she not only lived out these
principles daily but also instilled them in her many spiritual daughters and sons, leaving
a legacy that will continue to guide, strengthen, and inspire generations to come.

Mother Williams’ journey on this earth was defined by love, compassion, and
unwavering faith in God. Her passing leaves a profound void in the hearts of her family,
friends, and the countless others whose lives she touched. As we remember her, may
we celebrate the beautiful life she lived—a life filled with laughter, kindness,
compassion, and the sharing of wisdom. May her enduring legacy of faith, love, and
service continue to live on in all who were blessed to know her. Remember her deep-
rooted faith in Jesus, and her unwavering commitment to spreading words of love,

liberation, and justice. She should be remembered for the profound impact she had on
the lives of those who had the pleasure of knowing her and for her gentleness, but also
as a woman who did not take no wooden nickels—off nobody.

Mom is preceded in her journey to the ancestors by her husband of over 60 years,
Reverend Dr. James Samuel Williams, Jr., her eldest sister Lillian Blanton, and her
daughter Romantha Agape. She leaves behind to celebrate her life, their three
daughters: Dr. Jamantha Williams Watson (son-in-love, Isaac Dauda Watson, II), Dr.
Psyche Williams-Forson, and Dr. Omega Wilson. Her sister Delores Hendricks and step
brother-in-law Stevie Williams. Gaga had six grands—Isaac Dauda Watson, III, James
Samuel Williams Watson, AnnMarie Blanton Wilson, Marvin (Trey) Lee Wilson, III
(Jassmyn) and AbenaAnn Seven Forson. She also leaves behind a niece Dawn M.
Woodward (Mike) and Timothy Hendricks (Christy). Three grandnieces Eunity Watkins
(Ajavious), Summer-Breeze Woodward Edwards (Justin), Saye Phelps (Joey),Truth
Woodward, and Persephany Ingram and three grandnephews, Sterling Hendricks,
Malacca Hendricks, and Timerious Ingram. She also leaves behind a number of
Goddaughters and Godsons most especially Gayle Jones, Tanesha Weaver, Bronwen
Millet, Brenda Copeland, Edna Reba Trent, Jacquie Harris, Philipia Hillman, Rodney
Hopson, and Pastor Larry Miles, Sr.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who supported her with love and
compassion, including, but not limited to, her caring physician, Dr. Nicole Cole, FNP-C,
and all her loving CNAs, most especially Ms. Ernestine Clarke and Miss Kennedy
Leftwich. We are deeply appreciative of the many Sorors of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority,
Inc. who “came through” as Sorors will do to stand by us and help their sister. Finally,
we are profoundly thankful for the unparalleled prayers and encouragement from the
First Baptist Church (Farmville, Va), Fresh Anointing Cathedral Church of God in Christ,
Trinity Baptist Church, New Flame Church of God in Christ, Westwood Baptist Church,
and the Levi Baptist Church families. Although our First Lady, wife, mother, sister, Ga Ga,
auntie, cousin, Soror, friend, and loved one’s physical presence may no longer grace our
lives, her spirit continues to inspire and uplift us.