Wilma Elizabeth Williams

It is with deep sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Wilma Elizabeth (Reeves) Williams of Missoula, Montana on September 25, 2023 of natural causes at the age of 94. While we mourn her loss and will miss her greatly, we celebrate a life well lived. 

Wilma is survived by her daughter, Susan Williams, her sister, Janelle Barnes, five grandchildren (Jennifer, Christopher, Matthew, Megan and Spenser), three great granddaughters (Ruby, Heidi and Leilani) and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Hank, her son, Buddy, two sisters (Janet and Anita), three brothers (Norman, Bob and Cliff), and both of her parents, Estelle and Truman Reeves.  

Wilma loved music, playing card games, watching cartoons and movies with her grandkids, reruns of old TV westerns, and chocolate milkshakes. She adored caramels and Tootsie Rolls and had a baggy full of them in her purse at all times, which she would gladly share with anyone around her. She embraced technology and was an ardent emailer and texter and loved reading books on her Kindle. She was a longtime fan of the LA Lakers basketball team and the Angels baseball team and loved watching their games both in person and on tv.

Wilma was born the middle child of seven on July 14, 1929 in Springfield, Illinois. Times were tough growing up in the Depression, and while there wasn’t much in the way of money, her mother was a creative cook and an even better seamstress, making her own patterns and sewing the family’s clothes. Circumstances vastly improved when her father joined the prison staff at Joliet State Penitentiary as a guard, working his way up the ranks to become the Lieutenant of Guards. They moved to the Prison grounds, living on the honor farm where their house and gardens were tended to by prisoners. After graduating from Plainfield High School in 1947 she worked in the credit department of a local department store putting her bookkeeping skills to good use. 

She met her future husband, WH (Hank) Williams Jr of Hamburg, Arkansas, while he was in Joliet working for a construction company. They quickly fell in love and eloped to Wisconsin on July 10, 1951. Over the next several years they traveled extensively for Hank’s company, having two children along the way and eventually ending up in Southern California where they happily lived for over 30 years. She was a stay-at-home mom while her kids were young, later keeping busy as PTA President, Sunday School teacher, Cub Scout Den Mother and church secretary. Once her children were in college, Wilma worked full time as an executive secretary for the personnel manager of a large company, and when he resigned she took over the position, becoming the first female manager in the company.

She and Hank moved to San Dimas in 1981 where they quickly involved themselves in the community and joined First Baptist Church of Pomona. Their home became a wonderful and welcoming gathering place for both family and friends and she loved hosting dinners and lunches there. When Hank was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, she retired from corporate life, choosing to spend as much time as she could with him until his passing in 1990. While his death created a huge void in her life, she immersed herself in the lives of her grandchildren, filling her home with their laughter and love, and traveling extensively to visit her family in Illinois, Washington, Texas and Montana.  

In 2017 her daughter, Susan, convinced her to move to Missoula to live with family. She loved the view from her new home overlooking the city (especially on the 4th of July when fireworks lit up the sky), delighting in the deer grazing in her yard. She kept in touch with not only her large circle of friends in California, but also with friends and family across the country, never failing to send birthday cards and holiday greetings to all.  

Thank you to all of Wilma’s friends and family over the years who helped her to enjoy her life. Thank you to the wonderful staff of St. Patrick’s Hospital who cared for her during the final week of her life.  

Celebrations of Life will be held in the Spring of 2024 in both California and Illinois.