Elsie Marie Horton Williams of Roanoke passed away on Friday, October 4, 2019.

Ms. Williams was preceded in death by her husband, Philip J. Williams, Sr., her parents, D. Zelda Martin Horton and John Wesley Horton, her son, Philip Williams Jr., her sisters, Odessa M. Brewer and Mary E. Busic, her brothers, Clyde Horton and S. Ray Horton, as well as her son-in-law Roger Donahue. Born in 1926, she obtained her education in the school systems of Wythe County and completed at Fincastle High School. During WWII, she aided the war effort by excelling as a welder for Kaiser Shipyards in Vancouver, Washington. Following the war, she married her fiancé who had served in the 82 ^nd Airborne in the European Theatre and North Africa. She became a homemaker and reared her three children in Roanoke County. Her hobbies included needle work, gardening, baking, and graphic arts, including acrylic painting. She was celebrated for her bread baking and pastries. She had a great love of animals and delighted in the variety of birds that came to her gardens. Both she and her husband loved gardening and often traveled to visit beautiful gardens in the United States and Canada. Ms. Williams is survived by her daughters, Joyce Bergin (James) of Statesboro, Georgia, and Judith Donahue of Roanoke, three beloved grandchildren, five great grandchildren, her kitty companion, Quincy, and her pen-pal, Evalynn Halsey. Her family wishes to thank the medical staff of Carillion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, especially the palliative care unit for their compassionate attention to our loved one at the end of her life. They also thank the staff of Encompass Health for their physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as Dana and Robert for nursing care provided to Ms. Williams the last months of her life. Their exemplary professionalism will not be forgotten. Visitation will be held at Vaughn -Guynn-McGrady Funeral Home in Hillsville, Virginia from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM on Wednesday October 9, 2019. Following a brief graveside service at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, she will be laid to rest in the Isaac Banks Cemetery, her family's ancestral cemetery, in Hillsville, Carroll County, Virginia.