Mary Elizabeth Williams

An angel has gained her wings. The sweet blessing and tenacious force of nature that was Mary Elizabeth Williams (née Farmer) has passed on to rest with God.

Born March 31, 1938 to James and Rodesa Farmer, Mary learned early how to overcome struggle with faith, consistency, and determination. Though she was the first of five children, Mary outlived all of her siblings, both parents, and her stepfather, Charles McLean, until she joined the Lord on April 16, 2026. She married Carl McDuff Williams in 1956 and together they became parents to Gail, Rochelle, Adrian, Carlos, and Dion. As a devoted mother and a devout Catholic, Mary worked hard to ensure her 5 children (and the 4 grandchildren she would later legally adopt and raise) received a Catholic school education. She was a loving and endearing person and considered each of her 5 children, 11 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and bonus grandchildren to be a blessing. Affectionately known as "Grams", she cherished and nurtured each of us as individuals and connected us all together as one.

Mary Williams was a dedicated and lifelong member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. She gave tirelessly volunteering as a Sunday School instructor, a Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults educator, a member of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxillary Court# 323, and with several ministries within the parish. Mary worked as a nursing assistant at John's Hopkins Hospital for several decades before retiring early due to a permanent injury. In her early 50's, she earned a degree in Early Childhood Education to become a licensed childcare provider. She then ran a thriving daycare for several more decades, giving guidance and tender care to each child she accepted responsibility for.

After enduring multiple health issues, Mary closed her daycare and moved to North Carolina in 2015 to live under the care of her oldest daughter, Gail. Grams progressively battled more ailments throughout her final years, but she thought of, cared about, and prayed for each one of us every single day. She lived a full and bountiful life of love and service and passed peacefully in her sleep a couple of weeks after her 88th birthday.

Mary is preceded in death by her parents, her stepfather, an infant brother, her brother Billy, her sisters Jean and Teresa, her husband, her son Carlos, her daughter Rochelle, and her granddaughters Rachel and Brittany. She is survived by Gail, Adrian, Dion, 9 grandkids, all her great-grandkids, bonus grandkids, and many nieces and nephews. Grams leaves behind a legacy of kindness, selflessness, patience, diligence, and generosity. She was an excellent role model who impacted so many others in her lifetime. Her departure has left a void but her presence will be felt forever.

For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8