Nancy Ross Williams passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, August 27 in Nashville. She will be joining her husband of 60 years, Carl Allen Williams, her son, Buster, as well as her five siblings and many close family members.
Nancy was a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, niece, aunt, chocolate chip cookie master, beef stroganoff maker, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge lover, shorebird and duck expert and a defender of wildlife. A consummate caregiver, she washed, cleaned, bandaged, and nursed many family members including mother, mother-in-law, aunts, and husband, who she fondly referred to as Bubba, and son, Buster.
Nancy was many things; but more than anything she was an individual, her own person.
Nancy was born in 1928 in New Market Alabama, the youngest of six siblings. She graduated from Huntsville High School, married C.A. Williams in 1946 and raised her two children, Jackie and Buster in Madison. She was an active member and volunteer at Madison Methodist and Holmes Methodist Churches.
She had boundless energy. In fact, when she was 86 years old, she raked and bagged 125 bags of leaves during one fall. She said it made her feel so good.
Her passion was shorebirds. She volunteered for Wheeler Wildlife refuge for many years. After her husband passed away in 2006, she went to Wheeler every day and volunteered for four hours. She knew every duck on the pond and how many sandhill or whooping cranes happened to be there that day. She spoke to people from all over the country at Wheeler and enjoyed it so much. In 2008 she was named Volunteer of the Year.
Her family and friends will miss her terribly but are soothed, knowing she is now in a better place; she is no longer dizzy, her heart is pumping at 100% and she’s watching the shorebirds in heaven as this is read.
She is survived by her dedicated caregiver, her loving daughter, Jackie Williams Byrom (Marc Fortune) of Nashville; grandchildren, Allen Williams of Huntsville, Nancy Kate Rau (Tilo) of Grand Junction, Colorado, Kaitlyn Word (Jacob) of Birmingham, Brook Byrom Limbird (Eric) of Nashville; and her great-granddaughter, Liz Williams.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31 at the Madison City Cemetery, Madison, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of Nancy can be made to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, Alabama.
