Alice Williams

People who knew Alice Williams were blessed by her unconditional love and her generosity of spirit. A person who believed in hard work and enjoying the benefits such work provided, Alice was a dedicated mother and wife. Whether working in her garden, volunteering in the kitchen at her church, relaxing at Lake Mitchell, or enjoying time spent with her children and grandchildren, her life was full of blessings. In the year 1915, life was changing rapidly in the United States. Under the direction of President Woodrow Wilson, the U.S. was embracing the industrial revolution, and Americans celebrated the completion of the one millionth Ford automobile. Although current events were definitely exciting, for Irvin and Gertrude (Shafer) Stottlemyre of Springfield, Ohio, the most exciting event of the year was the December 19th birth of their daughter, Alice Pauline. Alice was quite young when her family moved to Brighton, Michigan near her favorite Aunt Edith. However, her parents divorced some time later and she moved back to Springfield with her mother and sisters. Alice attended the area Springfield schools. When she was in the 10th grade, she went to a party, where she met Andrew Williams, who was the brother of her friend and had just returned home from the service. As fate would have it, the two fell hopelessly in love and Alice quit school to elope to Indiana with Andrew, where they were married on October 9, 1933. After saying I do, Andrew found work on a farm near Springfield and this job afforded him a house to live in and a salary of $9.00 a month. Both Alice and Andrew were frugal-minded and were immensely proud when they saved enough money to buy their first radio. In 1935, the couple was even prouder when they welcomed the birth of their first child, daughter Barbara. Over the next 18 years, Alice and Andrews family grew to include five more children with another daughter, Diane, and four sons, Bruce, David, Harry and Lindsey. During this time, the family moved several times between Michigan and Ohio to wherever Andrew could find work. They even lived for a brief time in Idaho, where he worked on a sheep ranch. Eventually, the family put down roots in Whitehall, Michigan when Andrew got a job at the Norge Plant in Muskegon. After the couple had saved enough money, they bought some property on Dame Road on which Andrew built a garage, which they lived in for the next few years while the rest of the house was being built. The couple was very self-sufficient and knew how to stretch their dollar. They raised pigs and grew a large vegetable garden, the bounty of which fed their family. Alice also canned vegetables for the winter months and made homemade jams, jellies and catsup too. By the time Alices youngest child was 13, she had decided to start working outside the home. She became a cook at the Duck Creek Schools (now Reeths Puffer), a job she truly enjoyed. Alice was in her glory in the kitchen and she made everything from scratch. People still talk about her great lunches to this day. Alice didnt learn to drive until she was 48, so until then, she rode the school bus to work every day. Alice eventually worked her way up to being head cook, and although she loved her job, she retired in 1981, after 20 years of cooking. Aside from her family, church was an important part of Alices life. She was a longtime member of Fruitland Evangelical Covenant Church, where she volunteered her talents in the kitchen for special events. She also enjoyed being part of the ladies coffee group that got together regularly for over 35 years. Every time the ladies got together, they each donated a dollar and the money went towards new appliances and such for the church kitchen. Alice and Andrew had a great circle of friends from their church, and they enjoyed getting together to play cards and socialize. In their retirement years, the couple bought a camper and spent many great weekends at Lake Mitchell in Cadillac with their friends. While the guys went fishing, the women enjoyed talking. Alice loved her family dearly, and she and Andrew enjoyed 64 great years together. Although Alice had many interests and hobbies to keep her busy, she loved spending time with her many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren, all of who she adored. Sadly, Alice lost her beloved husband Andrew in 1997. She continued to live independently for a while, but as the years went by, she quit driving and her children came to help her. Alice even stopped going to church because she was afraid she might fall, though she was still able to make her hair appointments. Even though she didnt get to church, Alice stayed in contact with her friends there. Eventually, Alices son, Lindsey, and his daughter came to live with her, which was a tremendous help. Alice passed away on Wednesday, January 26, 2011, at the age of 95. A truly loving and generous woman, Alices constant devotion to her family, her work and her church were a shining example to all. Alice is survived by her sons, Bruce (Betty) Williams & David (Norma) Williams, both of N. Muskegon, Harry (Pat) Williams of Grand Rapids & Lindsey Williams of Whitehall; daughters, Barbara Keift of KY & Dianna Raider of Rothbury; 26 grandchildren, 50+ great grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren, several great great grandchildren; and sister, Artie Rozmislowicz of IL. She was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew, in 1997; 2 great grandchildren & half sister, Mary. Funeral services will be on Saturday, January 29, at 11:00 a.m. at Fruitland Evangelical Covenant Church with Rev. Brian Kyle officiating. Interment at Fruitland Township Cemetery. Visitation is on Friday, January 28, from 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon and on Saturday, 1 hour prior to the service at the church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Fruitland Evangelical Covenant Church. Please visit Alices personal memory page at www.clockfuneralhome.com where you may share a memory or sign the online guest book.