Our beloved mother Mary Irean, who was born October 11, 1931, in Marsden, Arkansas to the late John and Susie Watson, departed this life on February 2, 2023, at the age of ninety-one in Centennial, Colorado at Loving Touch Elderly Assistant Care where she received great love and care.
On May 26, 1951, she and the love of her life, Levert Williams, Sr., were married. To their union, eleven children were born. Sadly, she became a widow on March 22, 2012.
Mary personified the saying, “beside every great man is a great woman.” In addition to being a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, niece, and friend, she was a Homemaker, Manager, Human Resources Officer, Foreman, CFO, and all that embodied running the family’s farm and logging business behind the scenes while caring for and managing to keep eleven children healthy and balanced.
She was a faithful member of her childhood church, Weary Rest Missionary Baptist Church located in Marsden, Arkansas, where she served as a Deaconess, Clerk, Secretary and Treasurer for many years. Mary also trained the church youth on her duties to smoothly pass the torch to the younger generation so that the church would remain alive and thriving.
After her children left home, she worked for the Area Agency on Aging caring for elderly in the community. Outside of her employment, with a phone call, she was available to drive the elderly in the community to “town” to doctor’s appointments and shopping trips. During elections she volunteered for many years as a poll worker.
She loved her flower beds and never met a green plant that she did not love. She grew beautiful flowers and kept a lovely yard until she was unable to manage them. Her children spent many hours with her raking unending falling leaves. In addition to her green plants, Mary also loved spending time with family, fishing, music, reading, solving word puzzles, and dancing. Her favorite music artist was the Gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson.
Those she leaves behind cherishing her memories most are her children: James (Brenda) Williams, Sr. of Vick, AR, George Ervin (Glo) Williams of Magnolia, AR, Gloria Williams of McGehee, AR, Susie (Napoleon) Ross of Denver, CO, Donald Williams (Mirium) of Chula Vista, CA, Jesse Lee Williams, Sr. of Vick, AR, Clifford (Evernezzer) Williams of Junction City, KS, Eula (Ivan) Jackson of Cordova, TN, and Levert Williams, Jr. of Monticello, AR, as well as her twenty-two grandchildren, thirty-four great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, son-in-law, Louis Newton, Jr. of Mount Olive, AR, brother-in-law, Moses Williams of Jersey, AR, and sister-in-law, Jessie Mae Williams of Monticello, AR, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
In addition to her parents and loving husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Kelvin Wiliams, and daughter Pemela Newton; three grandsons Christopher Crosby; Jesse Lee Williams, Jr., and Celento Williams; two great-granddaughters, C-Kyra S. Williams, and Asia Williams; all of her siblings: JW Watson, Audrey Watson, Dorish Johnson, Jamie Mae Poole, and Martha Hampton.
